Asbury Park Man Charged with Murder of Neptune Man

An Asbury Park man was arrested and charged in connection with the murder of a Neptune Township man.

Tyreek Williams, 24, of Asbury Park, has been charged with first degree murder, third degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth degree unlawful possession of a weapon, according to a news release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

Asbury Park Police responded to 1259 Washington Ave., building one, apartment 53, shortly before 10 p.m., after a report that someone had been stabbed on Ridge Avenue, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

The victim has been identified as Prize Johnson, 19, of Neptune Township. Johnson was pronounced dead at 10:29 p.m., succumbing to his injuries despite lifesaving efforts from the responding officers, the prosecutor’s office said.

The prosecutor’s office and the Asbury Park Police immediately launched a joint investigation into the incident. Through the investigation, police determined that Williams and Johnson met on the 400 block of Ridge Avenue and an altercation followed, resulting in the fatal stabbing of the 19-year-old, the prosecutor’s office said. After being stabbed, Johnson was able to make it back to apartment 53 with help from his friends before dying from his injuries.

Williams is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $1,022,500 bail, without the option to post 10 percent.

According to the prosecutor’s office, if Williams is convicted of murder, he faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in state prison without parole and a potential maximum sentence of life in prison, without the possibility of parole before completing 85 percent of his sentence.

If convicted of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Williams faces a maximum sentence of five years in New Jersey state prison and a possible maximum sentence of 18 months in prison if convicted for unlawful possession of a weapon.

Police are still urging people with information regarding the stabbing death of Johnson to contact Detective Michael Bonanno of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 800-533-7443 or Detective Daniel Kowsaluk of the Asbury Park Police Department at 732-774-1300.