Blue Jeep Sought In Toms River Hit-Run Death Of Brookdale Student

(Photos provided by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office show the style of blue Jeep Wrangler being sought in the hit-and-run death of Jeffrey Michel of Colts Neck. The second photo shows a closeup of the damage that may be visible on the Jeep connected to the incident.)

Authorities are asking the public for help in locating a blue Jeep Wrangler with front-end damage in connection with the hit-and-run death of a Colts Neck man o Route 37 in Toms River earlier this month.

Jeffrey Michel, 27, was found dead by the side of Route 37 after a motorist notified police of seeing a person lying by the side of the road about 8:20 p.m. on March 6, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s office.

A piece of blue debris found at the scene has been matched to the front grille of a newer-model Jeep Wrangler, Della Fave said. The piece came off the bottom right corner of the grille on the passenger side, where the fender meets the grille, he said, and the blue was used for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 model years.

Anyone with information regarding a 2010 or newer blue Jeep Wrangler with front-end damage on the passenger side or who knows of anyone who recently has replaced/repaired a grille matching the above description is asked to contact Detective Michael Proto of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-232-7240 or Traffic Safety Officer Ken Thomas of the Toms River Police Department at 732-349-0150, x 1314.

Michel, who was struck on Route 37 near Fischer Boulevard on the evening of March 6, had accused Brookdale Community College police officers of brutality after his videotaped arrest went viral on YouTube last fall.

Michel was a nursing student at the college when he was pepper-sprayed while being arrested last fall at the college’s Lincroft campus, according to authorities.

Brookdale Community College police officers were eventually cleared of wrongdoing, authorities said.

>>Related:

• Accuser of Video-Taped Brookdale College ‘Police Brutality’ Found Dead In Toms River
• Monmouth County Man Identified As Toms River Hit-Run Victim
• WATCH: Prosecutor Probes Video Showing Alleged Police Brutality At Brookdale
• Prosecutor Clears Brookdale Cops Accused Of Police Brutality, Says More Force Could Have Been Used