Woman, 74, Dies In Car In Toms River Parking Lot, Prosecutor Says

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A 74-year-old woman was found dead in her SUV in the Walmart parking lot in Toms River on Tuesday, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.

She has been identified as Linda F. Bocchino of Berkeley Township, Jersey Shore Online reported, quoting Toms River Township police. She was found in the driver's seat of a 2013 Hyundai Tucson that appeared to have not been moved for some time, the report said.

She "did appear to be homeless," Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in an email to Patch.

The cause of her death had not been determined as of early Wednesday morning, but Billhimer said the Major Crime Unit of the prosecutor's office did not respond as her death did not appear to be suspicious.

The woman's car had run out of gas and its battery had died, said Paul Hulse, CEO of Just Believe Inc., a nonprofit that has been assisting those who are homeless in Ocean County since 2017. The organization went to the scene to assist with removing the car on behalf of the woman's family, which they were told would have been impounded, Hulse said.

"It is a common theme lately of people living in their cars throughout Ocean County," Hulse said Wednesday. "They do not have room at the warming centers right now because of how cold it’s been so it’s been challenging for people to get inside."

Hulse said his organization is helping several people, including eight who are sheltering in their vehicles, along with an unspecified number who are living in tents scattered from Little Egg Harbor to Brick Township.

Just Believe was out Tuesday night handing out blankets to people living in the woods, Hulse said. Some have been turned away from the overnight Code Blue shelters because the shelters are full, Hulse said.

Others have simply stayed put because they didn't want to travel a distance to the shelters, because they would have to find transportation back to their campsites and belongings afterward.

"They like to stay in their hometown areas so it’s also made it very challenging," Hulse said.

Hulse said the woman's death is a reminder of the growing need for comprehensive support systems for those who are homeless in the area.

"Every life has immense value," he said. "It's heartbreaking that this life was lost due to circumstances that could have been altered with more comprehensive support systems for homelessness in Ocean County, including a permanent shelter."

It also comes during the coldest stretch of the 2026 winter so far. Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing into next week, according to the National Weather Service.

There are four Code Blue shelters in Ocean County; they operate from November through March and only when temperatures are 32 degrees or colder. They offer shelter for 115 people, according to the Ocean County Department of Human Services.

Those sites are the center at the Ocean County PIC building on Route 9, which can accommodate 60 people; Warm Hearts on Ocean Avenue in Lakewood, which can help 30 people; St. John’s Zion AME Church in Lakewood, which has room for 15 people, and Family Promise on Windsor Avenue in Toms River, which can host two families of up to five members each.

That leaves hundreds more people potentially without shelter. In 2025, there were 577 people in Ocean County who were homeless during the annual Point In Time Count of the Homeless, according to Monarch Housing Associates.

The 2026 Point In Time count was getting underway on Wednesday, officials said. Surveys were set to be conducted at the JBJ Soul Kitchen on Hooper Avenue in Toms River; the Great Bay Gospel Fellowship at 820 Radio Road in Little Egg Harbor, and at the Affordable Housing Alliance center at 405 Washington St. in Toms River.

The Point-in-Time Count is a federally mandated effort that provides a snapshot of individuals and families experiencing homelessness on a single night, officials said.

"The data collected helps inform local, state, and federal planning, funding decisions, and service delivery aimed at preventing and ending homelessness," officials with Ocean County’s Homeless Prevention and Assistance Coalition said.

Outreach teams also will be surveying people in "locations not meant for human habitation," the coalition said, and offering "food, donations, and connections to community services, ensuring that participation also provides immediate support."

The surveys were scheduled for Wednesday through Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Steven Brigham, who leads Destiny's Bridge, which has been fighting for affordable housing for those who find themselves homeless, says his group is assisting several people who have been living in tents, many of whom are women and where the average age is 64.

One camp was forced to empty out before the storm, and Brigham said he assisted those people with hotel stays through the week, but he said the situation is getting worse because of cuts to federal programs that provide temporary housing.

"We all know that a large part of the problem lies in the high cost of living in the area, and the difficulty trying to access housing that one can afford at their income level," Brigham wrote in a post on his Facebook page, "but together as a cohesive and caring community we stand in the gap to help provide for the basic needs of those that find themselves outside."

Hulse and Brigham both said the problem has been exacerbated by local ordinances that leave police officers forcing people out of places where they have found temporary shelter, or that penalize those who help.

Brigham said police ordered one small group of people to remove their cluster of tents and move. Hulse said Just Believe received summonses in the mail in October from Toms River Township for helping a man who they were able to convince to go into a rehab facility, Hulse said. Hulse said Just Believe is due in municipal court on Feb. 12 on the summonses.

Additional information on the summonses was not immediately available Wednesday. A request for comment from Toms River police about them was not answered.

"When will we come together to create a community where everyone has a safe haven, and suffering becomes less prevalent in Ocean County?" Hulse said.