SWAT Called To Keyport Hours After Murder Victim's Tribute

KEYPORT, NJ — The Monmouth County prosecutor's office confirmed the county SWAT team was indeed called to Broad Street in downtown Keyport Sunday night, Sept. 9 for reports of fighting and a possible police standoff.

Hours earlier, residents of Keyport had held a memorial service at Uptown Bar and Grill for Evan Smutz, the Keyport man who was murdered in an alleged drug deal gone bad about a month ago. But many who attended stressed that the two incidents Sunday night were not connected.

Witnesses told the Asbury Park Press there was a heavy police presence outside Uptown. They said a fight broke out near the bar, and a man was seen carried out of a nearby apartment building on a stretcher at about 10:30 p.m.

"(There were) no arrests last night. A subject was in crisis," said Chris Swendeman, a spokesman for the county prosecutor. "The standoff thankfully ended peacefully."

John Merla, the former mayor of Keyport, said the tribute was done by 5 p.m., hours before police were called in, at about 9 p.m.

"We had hundreds of people there and we've raised thousands of dollars for the family," said Merla.

As Patch reported earlier this summer, Smutz, 20, was shot and killed inside his Keyport apartment on Aug. 9 over an alleged deal to purchase marijuana. The apartment is at 2 Center Street at the Holmdel Pointe apartment complex, pictured below.

The alleged shooter, John Curtin, 19, of Woodland Avenue in Keansburg, said he went to Smutz's apartment to buy marijuana, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Inside the apartment, an argument broke out between the two; Curtin allegedly pulled his handgun from his waistband and shot Smutz. Prosecutors say three or four shots were fired, and one hit Curtin.

Someone called 911 to report hearing shots fired from Center Street at 12:48 p.m. that day and police arrived to find Smutz with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:21 p.m.

Curtin fled the area and was found within 24 hours in New York City. Prior to this, Curtin worked at the Outback Steakhouse on Hwy. 35 in Middletown.

A relative had also told him to turn himself in, and Curtin surrendered to the New York City Police Department and was subsequently transported back to Monmouth County. He remains in the county jail.