Prosecutor: Two Convicted in Connection with 2019 Drive-By Double Shooting

Two men have been convicted of charges stemming from a 2019 drive-by double shooting in Asbury Park, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Friday.

Jonathan M. Marvine, 27, of Sayreville, and Gary R. Brooks Jr., 30, of Neptune City, were both convicted of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, with Brooks also convicted of first-degree attempted murder and several related weapons offenses following a trial before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley.

“This was a brazen, calculated act of brutality emblematic of the serious issue of gun violence that has plagued the neighborhood where it took place for far too long. We thank the jury for their service in ensuring that those responsible have been brought to justice, thereby also making that neighborhood safer.”
Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey

The case background …

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019, Asbury Park and Neptune Township police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting in the area of Monroe and Ridge avenues in Asbury.

Moments later, the two shooting victims, an 18-year-old male resident of Asbury Park and a 28-year-old resident of Neptune Township, entered the emergency room at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

A joint investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Asbury Park and Neptune Township police departments, assisted by the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, resulted in Marvine and Brooks being identified as suspects in the case.

Investigators used traffic cameras to track the white Hyundai Sonata used in the commission of the crime to a home on the 400 block of Myrtle Avenue in Neptune City. The two were arrested there on the same night.

The defendants were indicted in October of 2019. Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Luciano handled the prosecution for the state at trial.

Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, when Marvine will face a term of 10 to 20 years in state prison; Brooks will face up to life in prison.

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