A man was shot and killed early Friday morning in the parking lot of a Wawa convenience store along Route 37 in Toms River, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. The shooting happened around 7:20 a.m. at Route 37 East and Garfield Avenue, one of the busiest commercial intersections in the township.
The victim was reportedly seated inside a pickup truck near the gas pumps when he was shot, according to CBS News New York. The station has not identified the victim, and the prosecutor's office has not released his name.
Preliminary reports indicate the shooting followed an argument between two men in the Wawa lot, according to Jersey Shore Online. After the shots were fired, authorities searched for a dark-colored sedan described as a newer blue or black Acura and requested information.
Multi-Agency Investigation Underway
The homicide investigation is being handled jointly by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit, the Toms River Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, the prosecutor's office said. Investigators cordoned off and processed the pickup truck at the scene as part of the forensic review. No arrests had been announced as of Friday.
Toms River Regional Schools Superintendent Michael Citta confirmed that nearby public schools operated normally Friday and were unaffected by the police response, according to Patch. Sheriff's alerts had directed motorists away from the Route 37 and Garfield Avenue area while the scene was active.
A Major Commercial Corridor Disrupted
The shooting unfolded along Route 37, a 13.4-mile state highway that functions as Toms River's primary east-west commercial strip and the main route linking mainland Ocean County to barrier island towns like Seaside Heights, according to the Borough of Seaside Heights. The road carries heavy daily commuter and beach-bound traffic, making the morning shutdown at Garfield Avenue especially disruptive for local drivers.
Billhimer, a native of Ocean County and a former criminal defense attorney, has led the prosecutor's office since his appointment by Governor Phil Murphy and confirmation by the state Senate in 2018, per Insider NJ. He now oversees a Major Crime Unit tasked with identifying the shooter and determining what sparked the fatal confrontation.
Statewide Context and Potential Penalties
The killing comes even as New Jersey has seen a marked decline in gun violence overall. State officials reported in January that gun homicides fell 31 percent in 2025 to 107 fatal shooting victims statewide, down from 155 the year before, continuing a four-year downward trend that officials credited to sustained public safety investments.
If a suspect is eventually identified and convicted of first-degree murder, New Jersey law under N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3 mandates a minimum of 30 years in state prison without parole eligibility, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. New Jersey abolished capital punishment in 2007.
The Toms River Police Department, which is assisting county detectives on the case, has undergone its own changes in recent years. Longtime Chief Mitch Little retired in August 2024 after 39 years with the department following a dispute with municipal leaders. No further details on the suspect's identity or the motive behind the argument have been released, and the investigation remains active.
