Fugitive Sought In Fatal Shooting Of Woman, 25, In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — Authorities are searching for a Manchester Township man in the fatal shooting of an Ocean County woman on June 27 in Manchester, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.

Maxwell A. Johnston, 35, has been charged with murder in the slaying of Gabriella M. Caroleo, 25, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Manchester Police Chief Antonio Ellis said in a joint news release.

Caroleo was found with a gunshot wound to the stomach when Manchester police responded to a 4:55 p.m. report of a shooting in the area of Ridgeway Road and Hope Chapel Road near Ridgeway Liquors, authorities said. She was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune but succumbed to her injuries, they said.

Investigators determined Johnston was the person responsible for Caroleo's death, authorities said. They did not provide details on what led them to him. Authorities listed Caroleo's hometown as Seaside Heights, but family members said she had been living in Barnegat. Caroleo is survived by her son and extended family, according to her obituary.

Related: Woman Slain In Manchester Remembered As Independent, Good-Hearted

Johnston has not yet been arrested, Billhimer said, and his name has been entered in the National Crime Information Center database as a fugitive.

In addition to the murder charge, Johnston has been charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and being a certain person not to possess a weapon, authorities said.

"We have been working diligently with our law enforcement partners to locate Johnson," Billhimer said. "Great teamwork has been exhibited by all of the respective law enforcement agencies and officers involved in this investigation. We are focused on finding Johnston and bringing him into custody."

Anyone with information on Johnston's whereabouts is asked to call Detective Denis Mitchell of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, ext. 2476, or Detective Richard Conklin of the Manchester Township Police Department at 732-657-2009, ext. 4211, authorities said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Manchester Township Police Department and its Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and U.S. Marshals Service, are collaborating on the investigation.

Note: The spelling of Johnston's last name has been updated throughout this article to reflect corrected information from authorities.