Trial Date Set For Howell Men Accused Of Urging Man With Autism To Jump Into Ocean

The two Howell men accused of convincing a third Howell man who has autism to jump into the Atlantic Ocean in Manasquan in February are scheduled to go on trial in the case on April 28, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.

Nicholas Formica, 20, and Christopher Tilton, 19, are charged in a complaint with endangering the welfare of an incompetent person, a disorderly persons offense punishable by a maximum of six months in jail.

The complaint was filed by Christine Marshall, the mother of Parker Drake, 19. Drake said Formica and Tilton dared him to jump into the ocean for $20 and two packs of cigarettes, then videotaped him and laughed while he struggled to get out of the freezing water. Then they interviewed him afterward on tape about the experience as he shivered, he said. The video was posted on the social media site Snapchat

Drake, who has autism, also is diabetic. Marshall says her son could have died the day he jumped in the ocean, either from drowning or hypothermia or because a pump that delivers needed insulin to him froze, she said.

Marshall signed the complaints against Formica and Tilton after police and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office declined to charge the two men, saying the conduct didn’t fit a specific crime since Drake is an adult.