TOMS RIVER, N.J. – A Toms River man who was released from jail after authorities said they found him carrying about 110 grams of crack cocaine was arrested again months later after fleeing police and throwing cocaine from his vehicle, prosecutors said.
Phillip Tarver, 41, was sentenced Friday to an aggregate 18 years in New Jersey State Prison for two separate narcotics cases. His convictions include cocaine distribution, eluding and financial facilitation.
The two investigations unfolded seven months apart in Toms River, with Tarver’s release following the first arrest becoming a significant part of the timeline leading to the second.
Police Found 110 Grams of Crack Cocaine After First Arrest
The first investigation began Jan. 21, 2025, when detectives with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force were watching Keith Morse, 38, of Toms River during an undercover cocaine transaction.
Detectives saw Morse meet with another man, later identified as Tarver, and began following Tarver as he drove through town.
Toms River police eventually stopped Tarver on Route 37. A police K-9 indicated narcotics were present in his vehicle, prosecutors said.
Investigators obtained a warrant and searched the vehicle, recovering pills, a knife and approximately $5,300 in cash.
The largest seizure came after Tarver reached the Ocean County Jail.
Prosecutors said a jail search uncovered approximately 110 grams of crack cocaine in Tarver’s possession. He was charged and jailed, but was subsequently released under New Jersey’s bail system.
Morse later pleaded guilty to possessing more than one-half ounce but less than five ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute. His sentencing remains pending.
Seven Months Later, Police Encounter Tarver Again
On Aug. 12, 2025, Tarver surfaced in a separate narcotics investigation.
Detectives with the Toms River Police Special Enforcement Team spotted him near mile marker 83 on the Garden State Parkway.
Officers attempted to stop his vehicle, but prosecutors said Tarver refused to pull over and began throwing items from the vehicle as he drove.
He exited the Parkway and continued through South Toms River, driving recklessly as officers pursued him, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Police eventually terminated the pursuit because of safety concerns.
Officers went back for the items Tarver allegedly threw from his vehicle and recovered approximately 21 grams of cocaine.
Tarver was found a short time later in Barnegat Township and arrested without further incident. A search following his arrest turned up approximately $10,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
This time, Tarver remained in the Ocean County Jail.
Judge Imposes 18-Year Aggregate Prison Sentence
Tarver pleaded guilty July 6 to charges stemming from both investigations.
Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan sentenced him Friday to 12 years for each cocaine distribution conviction and seven years for eluding. Those three sentences will run concurrently.
Tarver also received two three-year sentences for financial facilitation. Those terms will run consecutively to the other sentences, bringing his aggregate prison sentence to 18 years.
The two cases involved approximately 131 grams of cocaine or crack cocaine recovered by authorities, along with more than $15,000 in cash.
Tarver’s case began with an undercover drug investigation, continued through his release after the first arrest and ended with a second arrest after police said he fled officers while tossing cocaine from his vehicle.