Ocean County Man Sought In Murder Of South Toms River Man

An arrest warrant has been issued for an Ocean County man in connection with the stabbing of a South Toms River man who died early Tuesday.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Lakewood Police Chief Robert Lawson announced that Darneil Reeves, 32, with a last known address of 207 Center St., Lakewood, is wanted on murder and weapons charges in connection with the death of Hassan Parker, 32, of South Toms River.

Parker was pronounced dead Tuesday after he was found with a stab wound as he sat in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that hit a utlity pole on the corner of John Street and River Avenue in Lakewood at approximately 11:20 p.m. on Monday. said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.

Parker was the only occupant of the vehicle. He was taken to the Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus (formerly known as Kimball Medical Center) and was pronounced dead at the hospital, he said. The Ocean County Medical Examiner has since ruled that Parker died as a result of the stab wound, he said.

Della Fave said investigators have determined that Reeves stabbed Parker while Parker was seated in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Martin Luther King Jr. apartment complex in Lakewood. The distance between the parking lot and the crash scene is less than a mile, Della Fave said, and investigators believe that Parker was trying to drive himself to the hospital at the time of the crash.

Reeves has been charged with first degree murder, possession of a knife for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a knife. Bail has been set by Judge Wendel E. Daniels at $1 million with no 10 percent option, Della Fave said. Murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum mandatory penalty of 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Anyone with information regarding Reeves’ whereabouts is asked to contact the Ocean County Major Crimes Unit at 732-929-2027 or the Lakewood Police Department at 732-363-0200. Please do not approach suspect if observed, Della Fave said.