A New Jersey man has been arrested for murder and related offenses after a double stabbing in Toms River left one victim dead and the other under arrest, officials announced Saturday.
Steven McNeill, 32, was taken into custody by Jackson Township police on Friday, hours after he allegedly stabbed two male victims at an Adams Avenue residence, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a news release.
The incident was first reported around 7:20 a.m. after an off-duty Seaside Park police officer called 911 to report an altercation at the home.
When responding officers arrived at the scene, they located Raniek Mendez with a stab wound to his chest. The 34-year-old Brick Township resident was rushed to the Community Medical Center in Toms River where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
Police also learned that a second victim had been stabbed at the same residence. Roderick Seward, 30, of Toms River, was taken to the Ocean University Medical Center by a family member for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators from county and township agencies identified the vehicle of a male suspect believed to have fled the scene. The driver, later identified as McNeill, was arrested in Jackson Township. He was taken into custody by Toms River police after initially refusing “to abide by the commands of law enforcement.”
While executing a search warrant at the Adams Avenue home, detectives found “an amount of cocaine” in a backpack belonging to Seward — who was then charged with possession of less than one-half ounce of cocaine with intent to distribute, prosecutors said.
During the investigation, detectives also learned that about 90 minutes before the fatal stabbing, officers had been called to the same residence for an earlier altercation involving McNeill and Seward. However, responding officers cleared the scene after McNeill left the residence.
He was charged with murder, attempted murder, eluding and multiple weapons offenses, and is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
“I would add that we have recovered a shell casing from the scene and have a witness report of hearing a single gunshot, but we have not recovered a weapon at this point in time,” Billhimer said Saturday. “This investigation remains active and ongoing.”
