Man Faces First-Degree Murder Charge After Shooting In NJ Town

INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ —Officials have charged a man with first-degree murder after ashooting Thursday morning that sent part of a small New Jersey town into a shelter-in-place.

State police helicopters joined in the search for a suspect after a shooting incident at around 8:19 a.m. on Alphano Road in Independence Township. Authorities later said the man, identified as Anthony J. Garvin of Netcong, had been caught in Pennsylvania.

The Warren County Prosecutor's Office said they have charged Garvin, 34, with first-degree murder and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose. He was being held in the Berks County, Pa. prison before his extradition to New Jersey.

Few other details have been released, including the name of the shooting victim. Officials said the incident is still under investigation, and additional charges may be forthcoming.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Garvin would face a maximum sentence of life in state prison, prosecutors said. The second-degree weapons charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The Warren County Tactical Team and members of the New Jersey State Police Canine Unit, Emergency Response Bureau, and Aviation Bureau were part of the initial search and response team along with Independence Township Police.

Local and state officials collaborated with Pennsylvania State Police and Wyomissing Township Police to investigate the shooting and apprehend Garvin, officials said.

As a note, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office took over the prosecutor's office in Warren County earlier this year, naming Anthony Picione as acting prosecutor.