Manchester Man Who Terrorized Jewish Community, Injured 5, Gets State Prison Sentence

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Manchester Township man who was sentenced Tuesday to federal prison in a series of attacks on Orthodox Jewish men in April 2022 has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison for those attacks, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

Dion Marsh, 29, was sentenced Friday by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to 30 years without parole for his guilty plea to terrorism in the attacks in Lakewood and Jackson on April 8, 2022, where he stabbed a man, hit three others with cars, and tried to grab a child, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Marsh will serve the sentence in state prison, with his 40-year federal sentence running concurrently to the state sentence, the prosecutor's office said. Marsh pleaded guilty to the terrorism charge on Jan. 24, 2024. He remains in the Ocean County Jail, where he has been since his arrest on April 8, 2022.

"It is clear that Marsh’s virulent rampage was intended to terrorize the Jewish community," Billhimer said. "This prison sentence sends a clear message to those who would seek to terrorize innocent citizens in Ocean County: we will pursue you, prosecute you, and ultimately convict you. We will do everything within our power to send you to prison for a very long time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, hate has no home in Ocean County."

"I am hopeful that this lengthy prison sentence will serve as a deterrent to anyone with even the slightest inclination to act on their misguided feelings of bias and hate," he said.

"I’m thankful to all of the law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation, whose combined efforts and teamwork led to Marsh’s swift apprehension and today’s lengthy prison sentence," Billhimer said.

The timeline of events on April 8, 2022, was as follows:

About 1:10 p.m: A man was driving a 2011 Toyota Camry heading northbound on Arlington Avenue in Lakewood, when he was approached by a male suspect — Marsh — on foot. Marsh attempted to open the door to the car. The victim locked the door as he saw Marsh approach, and as Marsh \tried to open the door, the victim accelerated and began to pull away. Marsh reached through the open window and attempted to hold on to the car as it was in motion; it traveled approximately one city block before Marsh finally let go.

1:15 p.m.: Lakewood Township police were called to the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Pine Street for a report of a carjacking. The officers learned Marsh approached a 2016 Toyota Camry, assaulted the driver, and fled the area in the car.

5:20 p.m.: A man walking across Kimball Road at Central Avenue in Lakewood in the southern direction was hit by a dark-colored sedan from the right side, causing minor bodily injury. The vehicle then fled the scene.

5:25 p.m.: A man called 911 from the area of Carlton Avenue and Central Avenue in Lakewood, reporting that his minor son had been approached by a black Honda Accord occupied by a thin black male, later identified as Marsh. The caller said Marsh tried to physically grab his son and pull him into the car, but was unsuccessful.

6 p.m.: Lakewood police received a report of a pedestrian hit by a motor vehicle in the area of Central Avenue and Carlton Avenue. Police found a man had been hit by a dark-colored vehicle. The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he was treated for his injuries and released.

6:55 p.m.: Lakewood police responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing in the vicinity of Pine Circle Drive and Lakewood New Egypt Road. The officers found a man with a stab wound to his chest. The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries and released.

8:20 p.m.: Jackson Township police responded to a 911 call reporting a pedestrian being hit by a motor vehicle in the area of Galassi Court. Officers were able to determine that the man had been struck by the same vehicle that was taken in the carjacking incident in Lakewood earlier in the day. The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he was treated, moved to a rehabilitation facility, and eventually released.

Authorities were able to determine Marsh was responsible and arrested him at his Manchester home that night.

Previous coverage:

• Manchester Man Sentenced To Federal Prison In Attacks On Orthodox Jews
  
• Ocean County Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Hate Crimes In Attacks On Jewish Men
• Manchester Man Pleads Guilty To Terrorism In Spree Of Attacks On Jews
• Federal Hate Crimes Charged In Attack Spree On Ocean Co. Orthodox Jews
• Terrorism Charges Added In Lakewood Attacks: Ocean Prosecutor
• Suspect In Assaults Made Antisemitic Comments To Police, Records Show
• Ocean County Jewish Community Shaken After 3 Men Attacked
• Man Faces Bias Charges In Stabbing, Hit-And-Runs In Lakewood, Jackson