An area man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and associated weapons offenses for his role in a March 30 Freehold Borough shooting, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Wednesday.

Joseph Lyons, 36, of Ocean Township, has been arrested and 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 weapon.

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

He is currently being held as he awaits his initial appearance and detention hearings.

The case background …

At 8:02 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30, Freehold Borough police responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting incident at the Continental Apartment Complex.

Upon arrival, officers found two male victims with gunshot wounds. The victims were taken to a local hospital for the treatment of non-life threatening injuries sustained and later released.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Freehold Borough police subsequently revealed that Joseph Lyons was responsible for shooting both victims before fleeing the scene.

With the assistance of the United States Marshals Regional Task Force and Freehold Borough Police Department, Lyons was taken into custody and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Detective Daniel Newman of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443 or Freehold Borough Police Detective Richard Schwerthoffer at 732-462-1233.

Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about a crime can submit a tip to Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling their confidential telephone tip-line at 1-800-671-4400; or by downloading and using the free P3 Tips mobile app (available for iOS and Android – https://www.p3tips.com/community/index.htm).

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

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