Juvenile Charged In Murder Of Woman At Toms River Office Park

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A juvenile has been arrested and charged in the murder of a Manchester woman at a Route 37 office park last week, the Ocean County prosecutor's office said Tuesday.

Margarita Diaz, 44, of Manchester, died Aug. 7 after she was assaulted at the Deer Chase Professional Park on Route 37 west, authorities said. She was found unresponsive when police were called at 8:42 p.m. Attempts were made to save her life, but she was pronounced dead at Community Medical Center.

The prosecutor's office declined to release any details about the juvenile, including the age and gender, and did not say when the juvenile was arrested.

The juvenile was charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, specifically a knife, and endangering the welfare of a child. The juvenile is being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center, the prosecutor's office said.

"Due to the fact that the individual charged with these offenses is a juvenile, the law prohibits the release of any additional information," the prosecutor's office said.

Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Toms River Police Chief Mitchell Little praised "the hard work and collaborative efforts of all law enforcement personnel involved in this thorough investigation leading to the suspect’s apprehension, including officers and detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, the Toms River Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit."

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