Guilty Plea For Lesser Charge In Shooting Near Brick Memorial

BRICK – A 16-year-old who was charged with attempted murder in a shooting near Brick Memorial High School last fall has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced on Friday.

The Brick Township teen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, prosecutors said.

The teen's guilty plea was came in connection with his voluntary waiver of the Family Court’s jurisdiction earlier this week and his agreement to be charged and prosecuted as an adult in Criminal Court, prosecutors said.

The state will recommend a five-year term in prison when the teen is sentenced on May 8, prosecutor said.

The incident happened on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 at approximately 1:45 p.m. when Brick Township police were summoned to the Brick Memorial High School area on a report of a student who had sustained a gunshot wound, the OCPO said.

An investigation revealed that the student was walking home from school with three friends when he was shot approximately one-quarter mile away from Brick Memorial; he then ran back to the school for help, according to an OCPO release.

As a precaution, Brick Township police and school officials locked down the high school, as well as neighboring schools, before determining there was no immediate danger to students, the OCPO said.

The victim was treated at Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township and released.

Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office High Tech Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff's Department, through their investigation, reviewed video surveillance footage from nearby residences, the OCPO said.

The video surveillance depicted the defendant and a second juvenile acting together, and in support of one another, in carrying out the shooting, the OCPO said.

The defendant was apprehended on Oct. 26, 2019, and has been lodged in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center since his apprehension.

The second juvenile also is lodged in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center, and his matter remains pending in Family Court.

Previous reporting:

• 1 Hurt In Drive-By Shooting In Brick: Police
• Shots Near Brick Memorial High School Prompt Police Response
• Brick's Search Continues For Shooter As Students Return To School
• Brick Shooting: See Mayor Call Suspect 'Scum' After 'Scary Day'
• Drive-By, Shooting Near School Linked, Brick Police Confirm
• 17-Year-Old Charged In Shooting Near Brick Memorial