41-Year-Old Seaside Heights Man Sentenced To Prison For September 2023 Assault That Led To A Man’s Death
Saturday, August 10, 2024, 7:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ.- On Thursday, August 9, 2024, Anthony Collins appeared in Ocean County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to three years in New Jersey State Prison for the September 2023 assault that led to the death of a 70-year-old Seaside Heights, New Jersey man.
On June 10, 2024, Anthony Collins, 41, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Judge Ryan to a charge of Manslaughter in connection with the death of Robert May, 70, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey. On Thursday, August 8, 2024, Judge Ryan sentenced Collins to 3 years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require Collins to serve 85% of his custodial sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The guilty plea and prison sentence stem from an investigation that began on September 18, 2023, when, at just around 4:00 p.m., members of the Seaside Heights Police Department responded to the area of Central and Sumner Avenues after receiving a 911 Emergency Call reporting a man who had fallen.
Upon arrival, Police Officers found a man, later identified as Robert May, 70, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey, lying on the ground next to his bicycle. Police Officers noticed that Mr. May was bleeding from a large laceration to his head. Mr. May was treated at the scene but refused to be taken to the hospital for further treatment.
The initial investigation by responding officers determined that Mr. May was riding his bicycle when he was assaulted by an unidentified man, which caused him to fall off his bike and strike his head.
At around 5:00 p.m., the same day, the Seaside Heights Police Department received a report that Mr. May was acting erratically at his residence. Mr. May was transported by the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad to Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey. As his condition continued to deteriorate, Mr. May was transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he succumbed to his injury and was pronounced deceased on October 1, 2023.
An autopsy performed by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Mr. May’s death was caused by blunt force trauma due to the September 18, 2023, assault and the manner of death to be homicide.
An ongoing investigation by Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and the Seaside Heights Police Department was quickly able to identify Collins as the individual who assaulted Mr. May, ultimately causing his death.
On October 4, 2024, Collins was formally charged with Mr. May’s death, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On October 15, 2023, after learning of the warrant, Collins surrendered himself to Detectives of the Seaside Heights Police Department. Following being processed on the charges, Collins was remanded to the Ocean County Jail, where he has remained detained since his arrest.
“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.
