Barnegat Man Charged With Fentanyl-Induced Death Of Stafford Man, Prosecutor Says

A 23-year-old Barnegat man has been charged with supplying a Stafford man with deadly Fentanyl and causing his death, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Stafford Township Police Chief Thomas Dellane said.

Peter James Caragiani, 23, was arrested on Dec. 20 and charged with the drug-induced death of Michael Nugent, 24, of Stafford Township, spokesman Al Della Fave said.

“Dealers who are relentless in their efforts to profit from the misery and deaths of others have now resorted to dealing deadly doses laced with powerful synthetic opiates in order to combat our initiatives and to increase their addictive grip on users," Coronato said. "We will continue to send a strong message through our enforcement efforts to these callous dealers, but law enforcement cannot address this evil alone. We implore everyone and anyone to join in our efforts. Citizens and community groups must show their disgust with this horrific new "Synthetic Storm." Please join us in working to stop the deaths and to make Ocean County a "No Dealer Zone"

Stafford Township Detective John Schweigart and Ocean County Detective arrested Caragiani at 11:45 p.m. on Dec. 20 at his home on James Hollow Way in Barnegat.

He was charged with strict-liability drug-induced death, manslaughter, possession of Fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl and distribution of Fentanyl, Della Fave said.

Ocean County Superior Court Judge James M. Blaney set Caragiani's bail at $150,000 cash. He was taken to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

Caragiani’s arrest stems from the death investigation of Michael Nugent that began on Nov. 7, 2016. Stafford Township police responded to a South Main Street address in Stafford at 10:18 p.m. Nugent was unresponsive when they arrived, Della Fave said.

He was pronounced dead by Dr. Isokovic of Newark Beth Israel Hospital, he said.

Officers on the scene who spotted signs of a drug overdose contacted the Prosecutor's Office's Major Crimes Unit and the Ocean County Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Unit. They were able to trace Nugent's overdose death back to Caragiani, Della Fave said.

The investigation was conducted by the Stafford Police Department Drug Enforcement Team, Ocean County Special Operation Group and the Ocean County Major Crime Unit, with assistance from Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI.

Image: Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.