Authorities are searching for a suspect and a dark-colored sedan after the Friday morning shooting along Route 37.
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A man was fatally shot Friday morning while inside a pickup truck in the parking lot of a Wawa convenience store in Toms River, prompting a multiagency investigation and a search for the person who fled the scene, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at approximately 7:20 a.m. Sept. 18 at the Wawa at Route 37 and Garfield Avenue, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit are jointly investigating. Authorities had not publicly identified the victim or announced an arrest by late Friday.
Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy told News 12 that the victim was sitting inside a truck outside the convenience store when he was shot. The person responsible then fled the area in a dark-colored sedan, Mastronardy said. Later reporting from ABC7 and 6abc said authorities were looking for what they believed could be a black Acura with front-end damage. Investigators had not released a license plate number or a detailed description of the person being sought.
The wounded man was taken by helicopter to a hospital but did not survive, according to 6abc and ABC7. Authorities have not released his name, age or hometown. The prosecutor’s initial statement confirmed a fatal shooting but did not provide details about the victim’s injuries, the sequence of events before the gunfire or the identity of a possible suspect.
Police and other emergency crews converged on the Wawa after the shooting. Video from the scene showed police tape surrounding a pickup truck as investigators worked in the parking lot. CBS News New York reported that officers were processing the truck as part of the investigation. The vehicle remained a focus of the police presence for much of the morning.
Authorities have not publicly established a motive. ABC7 reported that the incident may have begun with some type of dispute between the victim and the person being sought, but the nature of that dispute remained unknown. Officials also had not said whether the two men knew each other or whether investigators believe the encounter began at the Wawa or somewhere else.
The shooting happened during the morning commute along Route 37, a major roadway through Toms River. An Ocean County Sheriff’s Office alert issued after the incident advised motorists to avoid the area because of police activity. The investigation did not disrupt nearby Toms River Regional schools, Superintendent Michael Citta told local news outlets, and the district continued normal operations.
News 12 reported that the Wawa was closed while police concentrated on the pickup truck and processed the scene. Investigators were also examining whether surveillance cameras in the parking lot could provide information about the sedan or the person who fled. Officials had not announced Friday whether usable surveillance images had been recovered or whether any video would be released publicly.
Billhimer described the shooting as an active and ongoing investigation and said additional information would be released when available. The prosecutor’s office had not publicly named a suspect, disclosed a possible motive or announced criminal charges as of the latest available reports.
Police continued searching for the person responsible as the investigation moved into Friday night. Authorities asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit or the Toms River Township Police Department. The victim’s identity remained unreleased, and investigators had not announced an arrest.
Author note: Last updated September 18, 2026.