Prosecutor: Three Area Men Charged in 18-Year-Old’s Murder

Three young area men have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man earlier this year, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Thursday.

Aiden Terlecki, 19, of Middletown, Joshua Moore, 21, of Neptune Township and Jahsaad M. Banks, 19, of Asbury Park, were charged with one count each of: first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (firearm), second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree hindering. Moore has also been charged with one count of second-degree certain persons not to possess a weapon. Terlecki has also been charged with one count of second-degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance (CDS).

The case background …

On Sunday, March 16, at 12:34 p.m., Long Branch police responded to a report of a shooting in the vicinity of the John R. Lewis Commons. Upon arrival at the scene, officers found an 18-year-old male suffering from gunshot wounds.

The victim, later identified as Tristan Reeves, was rushed to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

An investigation by members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Long Branch Police Department resulted in Terlecki, Moore and Banks being identified as the individuals allegedly responsible. Terlecki was found and apprehended on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 9, by Port Authority police. Terlecki remains in custody in New York City awaiting extradition proceedings.

Moore was apprehended in Neptune Township on Thursday, Oct. 2. Moore was transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI), where he is being held pending future court proceedings. Banks was already being detained at the MCCI on an unrelated matter. Banks and Moore were ordered to be detained during a hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in front of Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Henry P. Butehorn.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is requested to please contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Joseph Leon at 800-533-7443 or Long Branch Police Department Detective David Stone at 732-222-1000 ext. 1349.

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