Teen Charged In Fatal Stabbing At The Jersey Shore

WILDWOOD, NJ - A Mercer County teen has turned himself in in connection with a fatal stabbing that took place in Wildwood early Sunday morning.

DaJohn Taylor, 18, of Hightstown, was charged with murder, attempted homicide and aggravated assault, as well as several weapons offenses, after turning himself in Monday afternoon to Wildwood police. He was then lodged in the Cape May Correctional Facility pending court proceedings.

The charges stem from a June 11 incident when, at around 2:23 a.m., officers found Kaiden Braithwaite, 20, of Cliffwood, dead from several stab wounds, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Wildwood Police Chief Chief Robert Regalbuto said in a joint statement.

An initial investigation found that a group of individuals were walking by 307 East Magnolia Ave. at around 2:15 a.m. and had a verbal argument with a second group standing on the porch of the East Magnolia Ave. residence.

“The verbal dispute escalated to physical altercation, at which time DaJohn Taylor stabbed Braithwaite and two other individuals multiple times,” police said. Taylor fled the scene before police arrived.

If found guilty, Taylor could face up to 30 years to life in state prison on the murder charge alone.

“This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges may be filed,” police said.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is urged to contact the Major Crimes Unit of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, Wildwood police at 609-522-0222 or at cmcpo.tips.