Lakehurst Man & Lakewood Man Both Charged With Attempted Murder
Saturday, March 1, 2025, 12:30 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
TOMS RIVER, NJ.- On Friday, a 19-year-old Lakehurst, New Jersey man and a 20-year-old Lakewood, New Jersey man were taken into custody and jailed after being charged with multiple counts of attempted murder in connection with last month’s shooting that occurred in Toms River, New Jersey.
On Thursday, February 27, 2025, Detectives charged Lyjhahn Cromartie, 19, of Lakehurst, and Shazir Vallade, 20, of Lakewood, were each charged with three counts of first-degree Attempted Murder.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on January 13, 2025, shortly before 2:00 a.m., members of the Toms River Township Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting gunfire in the area of Justice Court in Hopes Crossing apartment complex.
Upon arrival, Police Officers, during the initial investigation, determined that three unidentified men had fired gunshots into a residence at the complex, which was occupied by an adult and two children.
During the ensuing investigation by members of the Toms River Township Police Department, the Ocen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit uncovered that Javir Askew-Mayweather, 21, of Manchester, New Jersey, was one of the individuals responsible for firing shots into the residence.
On February 3, 2025, Detectives formally charged Askew-Mayweather with three counts of first-degree Attempted Murder and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The following day, on February 4, 2025, Askew-Mayweather was located in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. Askew-Mayweather was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he was processed, and following a detention hearing, he was released on bail monitoring conditions.
The Ongoing Investigation Makes Indentifications Of Shooters
During the ongoing investigation, Detectives were able to identify Cromartie and Vallade as the two other individuals who participated in the January 13, 2025 shooting. Both men were charged each with three counts of first-degree Attempted Murder, and warrants were issued for the arrests. Both Cromartie and Vallade were apprehended on Friday, February 28, 2025, and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where they were processed on the charges and are currently detained pending future court proceedings in Ocen County Superior Court in Toms River, New Jersey.
“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.”