Galloway Man Sentenced For Dealing Drugs That Killed Man: Prosecutor

GALLOWAY, NJ — A Galloway man was sentenced to New Jersey State Prison for supplying a Toms River man with heroin and fentanyl that caused his overdose death, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Shemar Jackson, 22, was sentenced to seven years in state prison, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Friday. The sentence is subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, meaning Jackson will have to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.

On Dec. 5, 2019, Toms River police responded to a report of a non-responsive 22-year-old man, Billhimer said.

When police arrived to the residence, the man was already dead from an apparent drug overdose, Billhimer said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, and Toms River Township Police Department investigated and found that Jackson had supplied the man with heroin and fentanyl the day before his death, Billhimer said. A lab analysis confirmed that heroin and fentanyl were in the man's system and caused his death, Billhimer said.

Jackson was arrested on Jan. 23, 2020, in his Galloway home by Galloway police and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, Billhimer said. He was taken to Ocean County Jail and then released due to New Jersey Bail Reform, he said. Since Nov. 2021, Jackson has been serving an unrelated sentence in New Jersey State Prison.