Port St Lucie Man Charged In Stratford Christmas Beating Death Of Brother-In-Law
Friday, January 9, 2025, 4:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
STRATFORD, NJ.- Last Monday, a 69-year-old Port St. Lucie, Florida, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged with allegedly striking his 72-year-old brother-in-law in the head, causing his death, during an argument inside a residence on Christmas Day in Stratford, New Jersey.
According to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay, on Saturday, December 27, 2025, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the Stratford Police Department received a report of an assault that had occurred two days earlier at a residence located on the 100 Block of Wright Avenue in Stratford, New Jersey, that resulted in the death of Frank Vitrano, 72, of Buena, New Jersey.
During the investigation, Detectives determined that Mr. Vitrano had been struck in the head by John E. Meyers, 69, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, during an argument on December 25, 2025.
Mr. Vitrano sought medical treatment on Friday, December 26, 2025, and later succumbed to his injury and was pronounced deceased at Cooper University Hospital on Saturday, December 27, 2025. A subsequent post-mortem examination performed by the Camden-Gloucester-Salem County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the Cause of Death to be Blunt Force Trauma to the Head, and the Manner of Death to be Homicide.
On Sunday, December 28, 2025, Detectives formally charged Meyers with one count of second-degree Aggravated Manslaughter. On Monday, December 29, 2025, Meyers was located and taken into custody in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by members of the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. He was charged with being a fugitive from justice and was lodged in a Pennsylvania Correctional Facility pending extradition to New Jersey.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is urged to contact Detective Luis Sibaja, Jr. of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at (856) 225-8682 and Detective Tom Farrell of the Stratford Police Department at (856) 783-8616. Tips can also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS. All calls and information will be kept confidential.
“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.”
