An Ocean County man has been arrested and charged with murdering his wife over the weekend and leaving her body on the side of a road, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Monday. 

Jeremy B. Cruz, 51, of Forked River, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife, 51-year-old Dawn C. Cruz. If convicted, he could face a term of up to life in state prison.

The case background …

At about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, a woman who appeared to have sustained severe injuries was seen and reported by a concerned motorist at the intersection of Asbury and Colonial avenues in the Ocean Township.

Ocean Township responded to the scene and found the victim, identified as Dawn Cruz, who was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.

A short while later, Jeremy Cruz, the victim’s husband, turned himself in to authorities at Berkeley Township Police Department headquarters in Ocean County.

A collaborative investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean Township and Asbury Park police departments, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, and Berkeley Township Police Department ultimately led to the arrest and charging of the husband, Jeremy Cruz.

He remains in custody pending an initial appearance and detention hearing to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court.

Anyone with information about this matter is being asked to contact MCPO Detective Aaron Shaw at 800-533-7443 or Ocean Township Police Department Detective Zachary Rhein at 732-531-1800.

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

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