Prosecutor: Authorities Seek Public’s Input in Solving 2022 Murder

Authorities are asking any witnesses to a fatal 2022 Neptune shooting, that they believe may be connected to a shooting incident the same day and in the same area, to come forward, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said on Thursday.

The case background …

Neptune Township Police Department responded to a report of gunfire on Monday July 4, 2022, just before 1:45 a.m. in the area of Route 35/South Concourse. Upon arrival, officers found 26-year-old Ayres Gray Jr., of Manalapan, in a parked vehicle on South Concourse, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

Gray was then rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries, dying about an hour later.

Further investigation revealed that there was a party in the 20 block of Hillview Drive, also in Neptune, where there was a “shots fired” incident shortly before the fatal shooting took place on South Concourse.

Investigators continue to identify and clarify the link between the two incidents.

Members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Major Crimes Bureau and the Neptune Township Police Department continue to investigate both incidents. Anyone with information on either of these incidents is urged to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Thomas Manzo at 800-533-7443 or Neptune Township Police Detective Carrie Bartlett at 732-988-8000.

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, by downloading and using the free P3 Tips mobile app (available on iOS and Android — https://www.p3tips.com/1182), by calling 800-671-4400 or by going to the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com

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