Prosecutor: Teens Charged in Attempted Murder of 20-Year-Old

Three young men are facing attempted murder and related charges in connection with the March shooting of a 20-year-old Eatontown man, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said on Friday.

John Carozza, 18, of the 400 block of South Laurel Avenue in Middletown; Rashahn Tucker, 19, of the 100 block of Seabreeze Avenue in Middletown; and Leo Morabito, of the first block of North Shore Street in Keansburg, are each charged with: two counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.  All three are being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending a future court date.

The case background …

In response to a 911 call for a man shot, Eatontown police were dispatched to 174 Main Street on Friday, March 13, at 4:54 p.m..  Upon arrival police found a 20-year-old Eatontown man with gunshot wounds. He was transported to an area hospital where he was treated for a serious injury.

If convicted of attempted murder, each of the men faces a minimum sentence of 20 years in a New Jersey state prison, subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA), requiring them to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. Each would also be under parole supervision for five years following release from state prison.

If convicted of the second-degree crimes, they each face a sentence of five to 10 years in prison. Each of these crimes is subject to the Graves Act, which requires a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of one half of the custodial sentence imposed, or 42 months, whichever is greater.    

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call Detective Stephen Cavendish of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, or Detective Brett Paulus of the Eatontown Police Department at 732-542-0100

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office