Prosecutors say a years-long investigation identified the driver of a Dodge Charger accused of firing multiple shots at another vehicle after a confrontation at a Toms River gas station.
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A juvenile delinquency complaint has been filed against an individual accused of opening fire on another vehicle along the Garden State Parkway in 2022, striking one person in the leg after an earlier confrontation at a Toms River gas station.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that the complaint was filed Sept. 28, charging the individual with two counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
The accused was a juvenile when the shooting occurred on Jan. 12, 2022. Prosecutors did not identify the person because New Jersey law restricts the release of information involving juvenile delinquency cases.
Also Happening in Toms River
A 20-year-old Newark man arrested in the city for shoplifting on Sept. 25th has been transferred to Ocean County. Prosecutors did not say why he was transferred to the Ocean County Jail on the misdemeanor charge.
Izaiah J. Smith was charged with shoplifting and, according to records, released on his own recognizance. Now he is in Ocean County Jail on two warrants from Maine for unknown charges.
This is an unrelated incident.
Shooting Followed Confrontation at Route 37 Gas Station
The case began when New Jersey State Police responded to Community Medical Center after a man arrived with a gunshot wound to his leg.
Investigators later determined the victim had been involved in a verbal altercation with another person at the Exxon Mobil station at Route 37 and Commonwealth Boulevard in Toms River.
After leaving the station, the victim headed south on the Garden State Parkway.
Prosecutors said a Dodge Charger followed the vehicle from the gas station.
Gunfire Erupted on Garden State Parkway
As the vehicles traveled southbound, prosecutors said the driver of the Charger fired multiple rounds at the victim’s vehicle.
One of the bullets struck the victim in the leg.
A passenger drove the injured man to Community Medical Center. He was later transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was treated and eventually released.
Four-Year Investigation Leads to Juvenile Complaint
The investigation remained open for more than four years.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey State Police, Toms River Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit worked the case.
The individual is currently in custody on an unrelated matter, but prosecutor’s have not released his name as it relates to that matter either, as an adult.
Because the accused was a juvenile at the time of the shooting, prosecutors said state law prevents authorities from releasing additional identifying information.
The charges are allegations, and the juvenile is presumed innocent unless the allegations are proven in court.
More Toms River news and Ocean County crime coverage can be found at Shore News Network.
