Toms River man gets 5 years in prison after gun found in crashed van and cocaine case near Walmart
TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man who prosecutors say was found asleep behind the wheel with a handgun in plain view after a crash, and later ran from detectives during a cocaine investigation near a Walmart, has been sentenced to state prison on weapons and narcotics distribution charges.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Friday that Chardel Holman, 41, was sentenced on Friday, January 16, by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to five years in New Jersey State Prison with five years of parole ineligibility on a conviction for being a certain person not to possess a weapon. Prosecutors said the weapons charge stemmed from an incident on February 12, 2025, in Toms River.
Judge Ryan also sentenced Holman to a separate five-year state prison term tied to a conviction for conspiracy to possess less than one-half ounce of cocaine with intent to distribute, prosecutors said. That case involved an incident in Little Egg Harbor on September 13, 2025. Officials said the sentences will run concurrently. Holman pleaded guilty to both charges on Monday, November 17, before Judge Ryan.
Prosecutors said the first case began on February 12, 2025, when Toms River Township police responded to a motor vehicle crash in the area of Cedar Grove Road and Edken Avenue. Officers found a Toyota Sienna on top of a snowbank with Holman asleep in the driver’s seat, according to the prosecutor’s office.
As officers removed Holman from the vehicle, a handgun was seen in plain view in the center console, prosecutors said. A search incident to arrest led to the discovery of a quantity of cocaine on Holman, according to the release. Investigators determined Holman had a prior conviction for terroristic threats, which prosecutors said made him ineligible to lawfully possess a firearm in New Jersey. He was arrested, charged, and taken to the Ocean County Jail, then later released under New Jersey bail reform, authorities said.
The second case, prosecutors said, unfolded on September 13, 2025, when detectives with the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department Drug Enforcement Unit and the Stafford Township Police Department Drug Enforcement Unit were conducting a narcotics investigation near the Walmart in Little Egg Harbor. Detectives said they observed Holman and another person inside a vehicle in the store parking lot.
Detectives attempted to stop the vehicle Holman was driving, but prosecutors said he drove away at a high rate of speed. During the attempt to stop the vehicle, detectives reported seeing Holman throw a bag from the driver’s side window. Prosecutors said Holman then parked and fled on foot before being taken into custody after a foot pursuit.
Detectives recovered the bag and determined it contained cocaine, according to the prosecutor’s office. Holman was charged and taken to the Ocean County Jail, where prosecutors said he has remained lodged since that date.
Billhimer credited Senior Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke for handling the case and cited the work of the Toms River Township Police Department, the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department Drug Enforcement Unit, and the Stafford Township Police Department Drug Enforcement Unit.
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Key Points –
- Chardel Holman, 41, was sentenced to concurrent five-year prison terms for a weapons conviction and a cocaine distribution conspiracy conviction.
- Prosecutors said a handgun was seen in plain view after officers found Holman asleep in a crashed vehicle in Toms River in February.
- Detectives said Holman fled during a narcotics investigation near a Little Egg Harbor Walmart in September and discarded a bag later found to contain cocaine.