Crips Gang Subset Active In Asbury Park, Neptune, Freehold Twp., Prosecutor Says

NEPTUNE, NJ — A Jackson Township man was sentenced to prison this month for being involved with a subset of the Crips street gang that was active in Monmouth County, particularly in the areas of Asbury Park, Neptune and Freehold Township.

Xavier “HS” Reed, 34, was sentenced July 9 to 17 years in state prison, announced the Monmouth County Prosecutor.

Police had been investigating Reed since the summer of 2019, and identified him as a high-ranking member of the G-Shine set of the Bloods, a local street gang. Reed tried to become the ringleader and merge different gangs, including the G-Shine Bloods, as well as two other Monmouth County gangs: 47 NHC and Grape Street, a subset of the Crips.

The gang activity was focused on having power in Neptune, Asbury Park and Freehold Twp., said the prosecutor. The gang activity included dog fighting in those towns, the trading of illegal guns, selling drugs, retributive assaults and gang-related shootings that plagued the Asbury Park-Neptune area during 2020.

The gang-related violence included the shooting homicide of 24-year-old Christian Lahens of Asbury Park on March 23, 2020, which Nahzee Coger, 21, is currently serving 15 years in prison for.

Reed previously pleaded guilty to first-degree Racketeering Conspiracy. A total of 29 other alleged gang members previously pled guilty to various crimes, ranging from Racketeering Conspiracy, Aggravated Manslaughter, Attempted Murder, Unlawful possession of firearms, Distribution of CDS and Dogfighting.