Seaside Heights Man Indicted In 2021 Killing Of Woman At Motel

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Seaside Heights man has been indicted in the 2021 stabbing death of a woman at the Offshore Motel in Seaside Heights, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Wednesday.

Gerardo Ruiz, 51, of Seaside Heights, was indicted by an Ocean County grand jury on a charge of murder in the death of Alecia Perreault, 29, of Seaside Heights, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Seaside Heights police received a call about 7:30 a.m. on May 1, 2021, from a person who claimed Ruiz had killed a woman at the motel, and that Ruiz was staying at the Surfside Motel, Billhimer said.

Police found Perreault's body in a room at the Offshore Motel, and she had apparent wounds to her neck. Perreault was pronounced dead at the scene, Billhimer said.

Police then went to Ruiz's room at the Surfside Motel and found he had overdosed; he was taken to Community Medical Center under the protective custody of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, and has been held at a secure medical facility since he was released from the hospital, Billhimer said.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, and Seaside Heights Police Department Detective Bureau determined Ruiz was responsible for Perreault’s death, he said.

Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr is prosecuting the case. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime and Victim Witness Advocacy units, Seaside Heights Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit investigated.

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