August 8, 2024
FREEHOLD, NJ (MONMOUTH)- The cause of a pedestrian being fatally struck by a motor vehicle in Freehold Borough on Wednesday morning is currently under investigation, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Thursday.
On Wednesday August 7, 2024, at approximately 11:23 a.m., members of the Freehold Borough Police Department responded to a motor vehicle collision in the vicinity of State Highway 33 Business (Park Avenue) near Ann Street.
The investigation revealed that a 65-year-old male driver of a 2022 Ram ProMaster cargo van was driving westbound on State Highway 33 Business near Ann Street when he collided with a male pedestrian who was crossing the roadway from the nearby parking lot.
As a result of the crash, the male pedestrian, identified as Frank Tommasini, 76, of Manalapan, was pronounced deceased on scene.
The driver remained at the scene.
An investigation involving members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART), and the Freehold Borough Police Department remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this matter is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Nicolas Logothetis at 800-533-7443 or Freehold Borough Police Detective Sergeant John Reiff at 732-462-1233.
No charges or summonses have been issued with regard to the incident at this time.
August 8, 2024
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on August 8, 2024, Anthony Collins, 41, of Seaside Heights, was sentenced by the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., to three years New Jersey State Prison relative to a previously entered guilty plea to Manslaughter in connection with the death of Robert May, 70, of Seaside Heights, on October 1, 2023, in the Borough of Seaside Heights. This sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, meaning that Collins will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility. Collins pled guilty to the charge before Judge Ryan on June 10, 2024.
On September 18, 2023, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Officers from the Seaside Heights Police Department responded to the area of Central Avenue and Sumner Avenue for a report of a fall victim. Responding Officers found a male victim – later identified as Robert May – laying on the ground next to his bicycle. Mr. May was observed to be bleeding from a laceration to his head. Mr. May was initially treated at the scene and refused further medical assistance; he thereafter left the area and returned to his residence. A subsequent investigation by the Seaside Heights Police Department revealed that Mr. May was assaulted by another individual, which caused him to fall off his bicycle and strike his head on the pavement.
On September 18, 2023, at approximately 5:00 p.m., the Seaside Heights Police Department received information that Mr. May had been acting erratically subsequent to his fall, resulting in him being transported by the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad from his home to Community Medical Center in Toms River. Mr. May’s condition continued to deteriorate, and he was subsequently transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. On October 1, 2023, Mr. May succumbed to his injuries. A post-mortem examination conducted on that date by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of Mr. May’s death to be blunt force injury resulting from the assault which occurred in Seaside Heights on September 18, 2023, and the manner of his death to be homicide.
A continuing investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Seaside Heights Police Department determined that Collins was, in fact, the individual who assaulted Mr. May on September 18th, ultimately resulting in his death.
On October 4, 2023, a warrant was issued for Collins’ arrest, and his name was entered in the National Crime Information Center database. On October 15, 2023, Collins surrendered himself at Seaside Heights Police Department Headquarters. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since that date.
“Certain proof problems in this case resulted in the State entering into a plea agreement calling for a sentence that is below the normal sentencing range for manslaughter,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated. “The victim’s family was cognizant of those issues, and supported this resolution. I commend them for their understanding and forgiving nature,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Julie Peterson, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Seaside Heights Police Department Detective Bureau, Seaside Heights Police Department, Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, and United States Marshals Service, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation, leading to Collins’ arrest, guilty plea, and now his state prison sentence.
Seaside Heights Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter
Seaside Heights Man Charged With Manslaughter
August 8, 2024
EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–New Jersey State Police reported that on August 8, 2024, at approximately 7:42 a.m., Marine Service Troopers were dispatched to the area of the Raritan River and South River in East Brunswick Township for the report of a person in the water. Troopers located the body of a deceased male floating in the water. This is an active investigation, and no additional information is available.
According to radio reports, Fire Department and NJ State Police Marine Service units made recovery in the area of Raritan River Day Beacon #39 in the Raritan River near the intersection of South River. (near the landfill)
