24-Year-Old Asbury Park Man Indicted On Charges For The 2022 Shooting & Murder At Toms River Hookah Lounge
Friday, August 23, 2024, 1:30 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By George Petruska: Englebrook Independent News,
TOMS RIVER, NJ.- On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County, New Jersey, returned an indictment against Eric Manzanares, 24, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, on charges in connection with the 2022 Toms River shooting that left one dead and two others injured.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, the Grand Jury returned the indictment charging Manzanares with first-degree Murder; first-degree Attempted Murder; second-degree Aggravated Assault, second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; Possession of a High Capacity Magazine; two counts of second-degree Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons.
Investigation
The charges stem from an investigation that began on August 27, 2024, when shortly before 1:30 a.m., members of the Toms River Township Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting multiple gunshots being fired at the Top Tier Hookah Lounge located at 1769 Hooper Avenue in Toms River.
Victims Shot
Upon arrival, Police Officers found three victims suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the victims, later identified as Nymere Tinsley, succumbed to a gunshot wound to his abdomen and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The two other victims, identified as Anthony Miller, 30, of Neptune Township, New Jersey, sustained a gunshot wound to his abdomen, the other two, identified as Jamal Bland, 26, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, suffered a gunshot wound to his elbow. Both men were treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where they were treated and subsequently released.
A swift-moving and extensive investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Toms River Township Police Department, and with the assistance of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigations Unit were quickly able to identify Manzanares as the shooter and the individual responsible for the death of Mr. Tinsley, and the injuries to Miller and Bland.
Accordingly, later in the day, on August 27, 2022, the Ocen County Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for Manzanares’ arrest on the charges of Murder; Attempted Murder; Aggravated Assault; and Weapons Offenses.
Manzanares remained at large until April 7, 2023, when he was apprehended by law enforcement in Prince William County, Virginia, and was lodged in the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center in Manassas, Virginia. After a lengthy extradition proceeding, on January 24, 2024, Manzanares was finally returned to New Jersey to stand trial.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
