Man Indicted In Fatal Hookah Lounge Shooting In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Monmouth County man has been indicted in the killing of a Brick Township man in a shooting that injured two others at a hookah lounge in Toms River in 2022, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.

Eric Manzanares, 24, of Asbury Park was indicted Wednesday by an Ocean County grand jury on charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a high capacity ammunition magazine and two counts of being a certain person not to possess a weapon, all in connection with the killing of Nymere Tinsley, 25, of Brick Township, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

A warrant for Manzanares's arrest was issued following the investigation into the shooting at Top Tier Hookah Lounge, 1769 Hooper Ave., that happened about 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 27, authorities said. He was arrested in Virginia in April 2023, and extradicted to New Jersey in January.

Tinsley was shot in the lower abdomen and died at the scene, authorities said. Anthony Miller, 29, of Neptune Township, and Jamal Bland, 24, of Asbury Park, were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. Miller was shot in the stomach and Bland suffered a gunshot wound to his elbow; both were treated and later released from the hospital.

Investigators determined Manzanares was responsible for the shooting, and he was charged later that day with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, Billhimer said.

The fatal shooting led to Toms River officials shutting down the business, revoking its certificate of occupancy, and fining the business owner and property owner $4,500 over multiple zoning and code violations.

The township's quality of life task force had been investigating the lounge after multiple complaints about activities at the business, which had been located in the Anchorage Square shopping center briefly before moving to Silverton Shopping Center, where the shooting happened.

Billhimer said the following agencies were involved in the investigation of the shooting , and the arrest and extradition of Manzanares: the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime and High Tech Crime units; Toms River Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Asbury Park Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and Prince William County (Virginia) Police Department.

Previous coverage:

• Alleged Hookah Lounge Shooter Extradited To NJ On Murder Charges: OCPO
  
• Fugitive In Hookah Lounge Shooting In Toms River Arrested In VA
• Fatal Shooting Prompts Hookah Lounge Closure By Toms River Officials