Man Accused Of Supplying Drugs In Toms River Man's Fatal Overdose

TOMS RIVER, NJ — An Atlantic County man accused of supplying heroin and fentanyl that led to the overdose death of a Toms River man has been arrested in connection with the man's death, the Ocean County prosecutor's office announced Thursday.

Shemar Jackson, 19, of Galloway, has been charged with strict liability drug-induced death, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. He was arrested at his Galloway home.

A 24-year-old Toms River man was found unresponsive in a home in the township on Dec. 5, 2019, the prosecutor's office said. Toms River police found he had died from an apparent drug overdose.

The investigation by the prosecutor's Major Crime Unit and Narcotics Strike Force and Toms River police found Jackson had supplied the heroin and fentanyl that were sold to the victim on Dec. 4, Billhimer said.

A laboratory analysis confirmed the heroin and fentanyl found in the victim’s system, which were supplied by Jackson and sold to the victim, had caused his death, Billhimer said.

Billhimer acknowledged the Major Crime Unit and Narcotics Strike Force in his office along with Toms River police, the Barnegat Township Police Department Crime Reduction Unit, the Galloway Township Police Department, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit for their work.

"We will continue to prosecute strict liability deaths to send a clear message to these drug dealers that you will be held responsible," Billhimer said. "Anyone that chooses to peddle potentially deadly narcotics in Ocean County will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

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