Alleged Hookah Lounge Shooter Extradited To NJ On Murder Charges: OCPO

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The man accused of shooting three people at a hookah lounge in Toms River and killing a Brick Township man in August 2022 has been extradited from Virginia to New Jersey, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Officials said Eric Manzanares, 23, of Asbury Park, was extradited to Ocean County on Wednesday after being held in the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center for about nine months. He was arrested last April in Prince William County, Virginia, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said previously.

Manzanares faces charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with the killing of Nymere Tinsley, 25, on Aug. 27, 2022.

Officials did not say what led up to Manzanares being arrested in Virginia.

Tinsley was shot in the lower abdomen and died at the scene, authorities said, while Anthony Miller, 29, of Neptune Township, and Jamal Bland, 24, of Asbury Park, were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. Miller was shot in the stomach and was treated for his injuries and released. Bland suffered a gunshot wound to his elbow, and was likewise treated and released.

Investigators determined Manzanares was responsible for the shooting, and he was charged later that day with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, Billhimer said. An arrest warrant was issued and his information was added to the National Crime Information Center database.

The fatal shooting led to Toms River officials shutting down the business, revoking its certificate of occupancy, and fining the business owner and property owner $4,500 over multiple zoning and code violations.

The township's quality of life task force had been investigating the lounge after multiple complaints about activities at the business, which had been located in the Anchorage Square shopping center briefly before moving to Silverton Shopping Center, where the shooting happened.

Billhimer said the following agencies were involved in the investigation of the shooting , and the arrest and extradition of Manzanares: the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime and High Tech Crime units; Toms River Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Asbury Park Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and Prince William County (Virginia) Police Department.

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• Fatal Shooting Prompts Hookah Lounge Closure By Toms River Officials