Gloucester Twp. Man Accused Of Slaying Shot His Upstairs Neighbor: Court Docs

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A man was fatally shot in the doorway of his Gloucester Township apartment. The suspect lived in a unit downstairs, according to court documents Patch obtained.

Matthew Lucas shot and killed Anthony Sanflippo at the Lakeview Apartments complex July 9 before stealing a witness's vehicle and fleeing to New York, authorities said.

Lucas, 24, of Gloucester Township was arrested for an unrelated incident four days later in New York City, officials said. He remains jailed in the city while awaiting an extradition hearing to bring him back to New Jersey.

Related coverage:

• July 10: Homicide At Gloucester Twp. Apartment Complex Under Investigation: Prosecutor
• July 18: Man Killed Gloucester Twp. Resident, Fled State In Stolen Car: Prosecutor

A motive in the case hasn't been revealed, and it's unclear how well Lucas knew the victim.

Just before 5 p.m. July 9, multiple witnesses heard a knock on Sanflippo's door, followed by a gunshot, according to the affidavit into Lucas's arrest. Sanflippo, 53, was shot in the head and later pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

Lucas, who wasn't yet identified, stole a witness's vehicle and drove away, authorities said.

Two witnesses saw the suspect as the events unfolded. One told detectives the suspect was wearing a black surgical mask, black long sleeves, green pants and white-and-yellow Crocs.

The second witness said the man was wearing a hat with dangling tassels, which he always wore, and that he lived in an apartment downstairs.

Detectives later obtained a unit list for the apartment and saw Lucas listed as the emergency contact. His previously listed address was in Brooklyn, the affidavit says.

The affidavit doesn't say whether Lucas was a listed resident or whether he had just been staying at the complex.

After the shooting, Lucas drove the stolen vehicle up the New Jersey Turnpike and through the Holland Tunnel, officials said. A license plate recognition system last pinged the car in Queens, New York, at 7:34 p.m. that night.

On July 13, the New York Police Department found the stolen vehicle in Midtown Manhattan, on West 49th Street near 5th Avenue. Lucas was arrested a block away for an unrelated offense.

Lucas had the car keys and a .45 caliber handgun, authorities said. He was also wearing a mask and head garment consistent with the description detectives received.

Police also found blood-stained green pants inside the vehicle.

Lucas was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and multiple second-degree weapons offenses.

In New York, he was charged with second-degree weapon possession, according to jail records. He was jailed at Rikers Island in the city, where he will remain incarcerated, pending extradition to New Jersey.

Online court records didn't list an attorney for Lucas on Tuesday.