Fatal Long Branch shooting leads to three arrests and first‑degree murder charges
FREEHOLD, NJ – Three men were charged this week after an 18‑year‑old Long Branch man was fatally shot in March, prosecutors announced, ending a months‑long investigation that identified suspects and led to arrests in New York and Monmouth County.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said Aiden Terlecki, 19, of Middletown; Joshua Moore, 21, of Neptune Township; and Jahsaad M. Banks, 19, of Asbury Park, each face counts of first‑degree murder and first‑degree conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Tristan Reeves. Additional charges include second‑degree unlawful possession of a weapon (firearm), second‑degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and third‑degree hindering. Moore also faces one count of second‑degree Certain Persons Not to Possess a Weapon; Terlecki is charged with second‑degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance.
Officers responded to a shooting near the John R. Lewis Commons on March 16 at approximately 12:34 p.m., where they found an 18‑year‑old male suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim, later identified as Tristan Reeves, was taken to a local hospital and died of his injuries.
An investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Long Branch Police Department led to the identification of Terlecki, Moore and Banks as the individuals responsible. Terlecki was located and apprehended on the evening of Thursday, October 9, by members of the Port Authority Police Department and remains in custody in New York City pending extradition. Moore was arrested in Neptune Township on Thursday, October 2, and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where he is held pending future court proceedings. Banks was already detained at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on an unrelated matter.
Banks and Moore were ordered held following a hearing before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Henry P. Butehorn on Wednesday. The case is being handled by Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner, director of the Major Crimes Bureau.
Defense counsel information provided by the prosecutor’s office lists Lauren Musarra, Esq., of Freehold representing Banks, and Anthony Cherry, Esq., of Eatontown representing Moore. Information regarding Terlecki’s legal representation was not immediately available.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Joseph Leon at 800‑533‑7443 or Long Branch Police Department Detective David Stone at 732‑222‑1000 ext. 1349.
Despite the charges, each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, where defendants retain all rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and state law.
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Key Points
- Three men charged with first‑degree murder and related counts in the March 16 fatal shooting of Tristan Reeves
- Terlecki arrested in New York and awaiting extradition; Moore and Banks detained in Monmouth County
- Investigators urge anyone with information to contact law enforcement