Jackson man charged with murder in Toms River stabbing; second victim faces drug charge

Yahoo

10-05-2025

TOMS RIVER - A Jackson man has been arrested and charged with stabbing two men, one fatally, during a fight at an Adams Avenue home Friday, and the surviving victim has been charged with possessing cocaine found in a backpack left at the crime scene, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Steven McNeill, 32, is at the Ocean County Jail, charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted person and eluding police stemming from a series of incidents that began early Friday at a home on the 3400 block of Adams Avenue.
McNeill's arrest was the result of an investigation begun 7:20 a.m. Friday when an off-duty class II Seaside Park police officer was leaving a nearby QuickCheck when he called 911 to report an altercation at the home, according to a news release issued by Billhimer.
Township police said the initial call reported a possible stabbing and shooting.
Township police who responded to the call found a man suffering from a stab wound to the chest, the news release said. The victim, later identified as Raniek Mendez, 34, of Brick, was taken to Community Medical Center, where he succumbed to the injury, the news release said.
Police soon learned a second stabbing victim was driven by a family member to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick for treatment of a non-life-threatening wound, the release said. That victim was identified as Roderick Seward, 30, of Toms River.
Police had been at the same home earlier on Friday, about 5:50 a.m., and learned that McNeill and Seward had been in a fight and that McNeill left the residence, the news release said.
After the stabbings later in the morning, township police and detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Major Crime Unit and Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit got a description of a vehicle that fled the scene. Toms River police officers spotted the vehicle in Jackson and tried to stop the driver, the news release said. The motorist initially refused to pull over, but eventually brought the vehicle to a stop and was taken into custody without incident, according to the news release said. The motorist was later identified as McNeill.
A continuing investigation determined McNeill was the person who stabbed Mendez and Seward, authorities allege.
He was taken to the Ocean County Jail to await a detention hearing that will determine if he will continue to be held without bail to await trial.
Meanwhile, detectives obtained a warrant to search the Adams Avenue home. There, they found a backpack belonging to Seward containing a quantity of cocaine, the news release said. Seward was charged in a summons with cocaine possession and possession of less than a half ounce of cocaine with the intent to distribute it and faces a future court appearance, the news release said.
"I would add that we have recovered a shell casing from the scene and have a witness report of hearing a single gunshot, but we have not recovered a weapon at this point in time,'' Billhimer said. "This investigation remains active and ongoing.''
The prosecutor commended the collaborative efforts of detectives from his office, Toms River Police Department and the sheriff's office that led to McNeill's swift apprehension.
Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Cops arrest Jackson man on murder charge in Toms River double stabbing