Police hunt for suspects in fatal boro shooting

EATONTOWN - Borough police are searching for suspects in the shooting death of a man in his Route 35 apartment last week.

Police found Nathaniel LouisWiggins, 23, shot and bleeding on the floor in his second-floor apartment on March 11, according to police reports.

Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo expressed his sadness about the shooting and said he feels that this is an isolated incident in the borough.

"No mayor likes to see any kind of violence, especially a murder in his or her municipality," said Tarantolo.

"The evidence [police] have gathered leads one to believe that this is a remote situation and not something typical of the borough," he said.

Tarantolo added that he believes the investigation by the police will result in the apprehension and conviction of the individual responsible for the shooting.

At approximately 10:50 p.m. on the night of the shooting, police received a 911 call about shots fired at the Route 35 apartment complex, according to police reports.

Officers arrived on the scene and called for assistance from the Eatontown First Aid Squad and MONOC paramedics.

Wiggins was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, for emergency treatment and died from his injuries at approximately 5:36 the following morning, authorities said.

A joint investigative task force was formed between the Eatontown Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office to search for suspects in the shooting.

In a prepared statement, Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said, "Detectives are diligently pursuing all possible leads and taking all necessary steps to resolve the shooting death of Mr. Wiggins."

Valentin said the investigation is still active and ongoing, and his office declined to comment further on the incident.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact Detective Daniel Baldwin of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office at (800) 533-7443 or Detective Sgt. Thomas Clayton of the Eatontown Police Department at (732) 542-0100.