Toms River Man Who Fled From Police Admits Heroin Distribution

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man has pleaded guilty to drug distribution and weapons charges in connection with an investigation in the summer of 2023, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday.

Zachary Lockwood, 25, pled guilty Monday before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to possession of a half-ounce or more of heroin with intent to distribute, being a certain person not to possess a weapon and resisting arrest, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

In addition, Lockwood pled guilty to an unrelated charge of eluding in an incident that happened Sept. 26, 2023, in Toms River, Billhimer said.

Lockwood is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5. Billhimer said prosecutors will be seeking a 10-year prison sentence on the narcotics distribution charge, five years in prison — with five years of parole ineligibility — on the weapons charge and five years on the eluding charge. He will receive credit for time served on the resisting arrest charge.

The sentences would run concurrently, Billhimer said.

The investigation in July and August 2023 by the Toms River Police Department's Special Enforcement Team identified Lockwood as someone distributing heroin in Ocean County, Billhimer said.

On Aug. 29, detectives saw Lockwood leave his home and stop at a CVS on Hooper Avenue. As he came out of the store, they approached him and then executed a search warrant on his vehicle, seizing 215 wax folds of heroin, authorities said.

As they tried to arrest Lockwood, he resisted but eventually was taken into custody, authorities said.

They then executed the search warrant on Lockwood's home and seized about 2,000 wax folds of heroin and a .40-caliber handgun with ammunition.

Lockwood was taken to the Ocean County Jail but later released under New Jersey bail reform rules.

The eluding charge resulted when Lockwood sped off when Toms River police officers tried to pull him over after he ran a red light at Fischer Boulevard and Route 37 on Sept. 26,

As officers tried to stop him, Lockwood took off at high speed, driving recklessly northbound on Fischer Boulevard and kept going at high speed through residential areas on the east side of Fischer Boulevard.

As he tried to turn back onto Fischer Boulevard, his vehicle hit a curb and came to rest in the middle of the road.

Officers approached the vehicle and found Lockwood behind the wheel, and arrested him. He has been in the Ocean County jail since, the prosecutor's office said.