Investigators were searching for a suspect who fled after the Friday morning shooting at Route 37 and Garfield Avenue.
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A man was fatally shot Friday morning while inside a pickup truck in the parking lot of a Wawa convenience store in Toms River, setting off a multiagency investigation and a search for the person who fled the scene.
The shooting happened at about 7:20 a.m. Sept. 18 at the Wawa at Route 37 and Garfield Avenue, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit are investigating. Authorities had not publicly identified the victim or announced an arrest in the latest available reports.
Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy told News 12 that the victim was sitting inside a truck outside the convenience store when he was shot. The person responsible then left the area in a dark-colored sedan, according to the sheriff. The victim was taken by helicopter to a hospital, where he later died. Officials had not released his name, age or hometown.
Investigators were looking for what they believe may have been a black Acura with front-end damage, according to reports from ABC7 New York and 6abc Philadelphia. Authorities had not publicly released a license plate number or a detailed description of the person being sought. It also remained unclear whether investigators had determined who owned or was driving the vehicle.
Police and emergency crews converged on the convenience store after the shooting. Video from the scene showed yellow police tape around a pickup truck while investigators worked in the parking lot. CBS News New York reported that police were processing the truck as part of the investigation. The vehicle remained a focus of the scene before it was eventually removed.
The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert shortly after the shooting advising motorists to avoid the Route 37 and Garfield Avenue area because of police activity. Nearby Toms River Regional schools continued normal operations, Superintendent Michael Citta told local news outlets. Authorities did not report an ongoing disruption to the schools connected to the investigation.
The circumstances leading to the gunfire remained unclear. ABC7 reported that investigators were examining whether the incident may have followed some type of dispute between the victim and the person being sought, but officials had not publicly established a motive. Authorities also had not said whether the two knew each other or whether any encounter began at the Wawa or elsewhere.
Some early accounts suggested that surveillance footage from the area could become part of the investigation, but officials had not announced whether investigators obtained video showing the shooting, the fleeing vehicle or the person responsible. No surveillance images had been publicly released in the latest available reports.
Billhimer described the case as an active and ongoing investigation and said additional information would be released when it became available. The prosecutor’s office had not announced criminal charges, named a suspect or released the victim’s identity as the investigation continued.
Author note: Last updated September 18, 2026.