Fugitive in 2022 Murder Captured in Toms River

Handcuffs (Shorebeat File Photo/ banspy/ Flickr)

A fugitive suspected of being behind a fatal shooting in Monmouth County last year was captured in Toms River this week and taken into custody.

Lydell Brown, 19, of Asbury Park is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, and two related second-degree weapons offenses, prosecutors said in a statement issued Friday.

According to the statement, shortly after 5:45 p.m. on Friday, July 8, 2022, members of the Asbury Park Police Department were called to a report of gunfire originating from the 100 block of Prospect Avenue, near the intersection with Atlantic Avenue. Upon arrival, officers encountered 19-year-old Dariel Vernet, of Asbury Park, who had sustained multiple gunshot injuries. He was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead approximately one hour later. His death was ruled a homicide.

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A probe by investigators resulted in Brown and a juvenile defendant being identified as the individuals responsible for the shooting, prosecutors said. The then-16-year-old juvenile, who has not been identified publicly due to his age, was apprehended July 12, 2022, and remains in custody pending future court proceedings.

Brown was located and arrested without incident in Toms River yesterday by members of Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Asbury Park Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. The exact location of his arrest was not revealed in the statement.

Brown was listed as an inmate at the Monmouth County correctional facility, which does not publish photographs of inmates. He is being held without bail, records showed.

Anyone with information about the shooting is still urged to contact MCPO Detective Sgt. Christopher Guy at 800-533-7443 or Asbury Park Police Department Detective Anthony Troublefield at 732-774-1300. The case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Caitlin J. Sidley and Alexandra Strzykalski.