Freehold Man Sentenced In Stabbing At Ocean County Apartment Complex

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Freehold man charged in a Thanksgiving stabbing at an Ocean County apartment complex has been sentenced to time in prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Jaden Thompson, 19, of Freehold, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison on Friday relative to his previously entered guilty plea to attempted murder in connection with an incident that occurred in Jackson Township on Nov. 27, 2025.

The sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act (NERA), which means that Thompson will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.

Additionally, Judge Kenneth T. Palmer sentenced Thompson to five years in state prison relative to his previously entered guilty plea to endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the same incident.

Thompson was also sentenced to five years in state prison relative to his previously entered guilty plea to eluding in connection with an incident that occurred in Edison Township (Middlesex County) on Nov. 28, 2025. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Thompson pled guilty to all charges before Judge Palmer on Aug. 31, 2026.

Thompson's sentencing follows an incident on Nov. 27, 2025, when Jackson Township police responded to the Paragon Apartments on Larsen Road for a report of a person who had been stabbed.

Once officers arrived at the scene, they found a woman with a stab wound to the abdomen and a 19-month-old infant lying in the area where the stabbing occurred; the infant was uninjured.

The woman was brought to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was treated and ultimately released.

A subsequent investigation identified Thompson as the suspect in the stabbing, Billhimer said.

Further investigation revealed that Thompson had fled the area in a black Hyundai Sonata; he was charged and his name was entered into the National Crime Information Center database.

The next day, on Nov. 28, 2025, Edison Township police identified a vehicle being used by Thompson.

As officers tried to conduct a motor vehicle stop, Thompson "recklessly sped away" and ultimately crashed the vehicle, Billhimer said.

Thompson then tried to flee on foot but was taken into custody in the near vicinity.

On Nov. 29, 2025, he was brought to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been detained since that date.

Previous Coverage

• Freehold Man Pleads Guilty In Stabbing At Ocean County Apartment Complex
• Man Charged In Thanksgiving Stabbing At Ocean County Apartment Complex