Long Branch Man Smuggled Heroin Into Jail, Caused Fatal Overdose: PD

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A Long Branch man is accused of smuggling drugs into the Monmouth County jail, which killed an inmate, acting Monmouth County prosecutor Lori Linskey said Monday.

The drugs Alvino Hinton is accused of smuggling into the jail were heroin/fentanyl and the inmate died April 17, said the county prosecutor. Hinton was himself an inmate at the jail when this happened, said the prosecutor.

Hinton, 47, of Long Branch, was taken into police custody Aug. 18, and charged with the overdose death of inmate David Egner, 32, of Toms River. He was charged with a first-degree crime of strict liability in connection with a drug-induced death, among other drug-related charges.

At approximately 9:05 a.m. on April 17, corrections officers at the Monmouth County jail discovered the inmate, Egner, non-responsive on the floor of his cell. Medical first aid was immediately rendered and Egner was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, where he was diagnosed as suffering from heroin/fentanyl poisoning.

Egner was pronounced deceased later that same day.

An investigation determined that Hinton distributed the fatal substance to Egner while he himself was a fellow inmate, said the prosecutor.

Hinton is represented by Paul E. Zager, Esq., of Red Bank.