Woodbridge High Grad Killed In Long Branch Beach Shooting Mourned

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The Woodbridge High School grad who was shot and killed on the beach last Thursday night in Long Branch continues to be remembered by those who knew him as an outstanding athlete — and a kind person.

Chrystofer Whyte, 18, graduated from Woodbridge High School in 2024. He played varsity football and wrestled for Woodbridge, and both his former coaches mourned his death this week.

"He had a tough road but a good heart — well-liked, respected and a fighter on the field and the mat," Joseph LaSala, the former Woodbridge High School football coach, posted to X (formerly Twitter) this week. "My heart goes out to his family."

LaSala, now an assistant football coach at Montclair State University, said he first started coaching Whyte when the teenager was just in eighth grade.

"He was one of the most respectful kids in our program. Chrys was a really unbelievable kid who brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the program. He was an extremely hard worker," LaSala told MyCentralJersey this week. "It's extremely disappointing to see something like this happen to him or any 18-year-old."

Whyte was killed by one single gunshot: It was 8:58 p.m. Thursday, as an outdoor music concert was just wrapping up at Pier Village, when the sharp sound of gunshots rang out among the crowded beach and boardwalk. People started running and screaming, said witnesses.

When Long Branch Police and EMTs got there, they found Whyte lying on the sand, suffering from one single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The very last video Whyte posted to his TikTok profile, hi.imchrys — where he had 96,000 followers — was Thursday afternoon. He was sitting on the beach in Long Branch, wearing a bathing suit and smiling. A few days earlier, he had posted:

"I don't know, man, I've just got this crazy confidence that everything will work out in the end."

The Monmouth County Prosecutor said they had no new leads to reveal, as of Tuesday.

He is mourned by his mother, who raised him.

He was "a beautiful soul (lost) to gun violence," Whyte's best friend Jaiden Roche wrote on this GoFundMe raising money to help bury Whyte. "He meant so much to everyone. He was very loved by many and this all still seems like a dream."

"R.I.P C. Whyte, Gone too soon. Your Barron family will miss you . #BarronForever," the Woodbridge varsity wrestling team also posted to X.

Man Shot And Killed During Outdoor Beach Concert In Long Branch Thursday (June 13)

GoFundMe Started For Woodbridge High Grad Fatally Shot On Long Branch Beach (June 16)