Crime & Safety
Ocean County, NJ Man Charged With Attempted Murder in Parkway Shooting
Toms River, NJ – A nearly five year investigation into a shooting on the Garden State Parkway has led to an arrest, with New Jersey State Police announcing that a 22 year old Toms River man faces mult
By Lauren Beckett · 2026-10-08T15:08:30.287Z
Toms River, NJ – A nearly five year investigation into a shooting on the Garden State Parkway has led to an arrest, with New Jersey State Police announcing that a 22 year old Toms River man faces multiple felony charges, including two counts of attempted murder.
According to New Jersey State Police, Anthony Zigarelli, 22, was identified as the suspect in a January 12, 2022, shooting along the southbound Garden State Parkway near Exit 80 in South Toms River, Ocean County.
Investigators said the incident began with a verbal altercation between two men at an Exxon gas station on Commonwealth Boulevard in Manchester Township.
Following the confrontation, the suspect allegedly followed the victim's vehicle onto the Garden State Parkway South.
Near Exit 80, authorities allege the suspect fired several rounds at the vehicle before leaving the scene.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound that police described as non life threatening. A juvenile passenger, who was not injured, drove the wounded victim to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment.
Detectives responding to the hospital discovered numerous bullet holes in the victim's vehicle, according to state police.
The investigation remained active for years as authorities worked to identify the person responsible.
State police credited advancements in technology and investigative techniques with helping detectives identify Zigarelli.
The investigation involved the New Jersey State Police Cellular Analysis Team and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office High Tech Crimes Unit.
Zigarelli now faces two counts of first degree attempted murder, second degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Authorities said Zigarelli was arrested on an unrelated offense and was being held pending a detention hearing.
The charges are allegations, and Zigarelli is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.