LAKEWOOD, N.J., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Murder charges were filed Saturday against the young man suspected of gunning down a Lakewood, N.J., police officer, prosecutors said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said Jahmell W. Crockam, 19, had not been found, the Asbury Park Press reported. A reward for information leading to his arrest had grown to more than $100,000.
Crockam allegedly shot Christopher Matlosz Friday. Investigators say Matlosz, on patrol in Lakewood, pulled over to talk to Crockam when he saw him walking.
Witnesses said Crockam suddenly pulled out a gun and fired three shots at close range. He then ran into a wooded area.
Ford said Crockam's street name is "Sav," short for "Savage".
"At this point, we need to assume that he is armed and that he will use that lethal weapon,'' Ford said.
Lakewood is a sprawling, ethnically diverse town of about 60,000 a few miles inland. Matlosz joined the Police Department in 2006 after working as a special officer in other towns.
A search began soon after the shooting. Charles Cobb, a construction worker who lives a few blocks away, said most people in the neighborhood got two visits from police Friday, one early and the other later when officers canvassed the area with pictures of the suspect.
"It was crazy; they came in with their guns drawn telling everybody to get on the floor, asking if they could search the house," Cobb said. UPI
