SEASIDE HEIGHTS – A 40-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter after assaulting a man who later died from his injuries, police said.
Anthony Collins of Seaside Heights was charged with the crimes of Manslaughter and Endangering an Injured Victim in connection with the death of Robert May, 70, of Seaside Heights, on October 1 in the Borough of Seaside Heights.
On September 18 around 4 p.m., Seaside Heights Police officers found May laying on the ground next to his bicycle in the area of Central Avenue and Sumner Avenue. May was bleeding from a laceration to his head and was initially treated at the scene. May refused further medical assistance and left to return to his home, police said.
It was later discovered that May was assaulted, which caused him to fall off his bicycle and strike his head on the pavement.
At 5 p.m., police were informed that May had been acting erratically subsequent to his fall, resulting in him being transported by the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad from his home to Community Medical Center in Toms River.
May’s condition continued to deteriorate, and he was transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He succumbed to his injuries on October 1, police said.
A post-mortem examination determined the cause of May’s death to be blunt force injury from the assault that occurred, and the manner of his death to be homicide.
Police later determined that Collins was the one who assaulted May, resulting in his death.
On October 4, a warrant was issued for Collins’ arrest. On October 15, Collins surrendered himself at Seaside Heights Police Department Headquarters. He was brought to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Seaside Heights Police Department Detective Bureau, Seaside Heights Police Department, Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, and United States Marshals Service, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced are merely accusations and the public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
