Police: Lakewood Murder Suspect Being Sought

Darneil Reeves (Photo: Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office)

Authorities are on the hunt for a man they say fatally stabbed a South Toms River resident in the early morning hours Tuesday.

Darneil Reeves, 32, with a last known address of 207 Center Street, Lakewood, has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of Hassan Parker, 32. Parker, was transported to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a utility pole on the corner of John Street and River Avenue in Lakewood at approximately 11:20 p.m. on Monday. Parker was the only occupant of the vehicle, and was found by emergency workers with a stab wound to his chest. He died later that night.

According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, an investigation revealed that Reeves inflicted the stab wound just minutes before Parker crashed his car into the utility pole. The wound was inflicted while Parker was seated in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Martin Luther King, Jr. apartment complex in Lakewood. The distance between the parking lot and the crash scene is less than a mile, authorities said. Investigators believe that Parker was trying to drive himself to the hospital at the time of the crash.

---

Get Brick News Updates Daily Your email address:* Please enter all required fields Correct invalid entries

Reeves has been charged with first degree murder, possession of a knife for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a knife. Bail has been set by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels at $1 million dollars cash.

Murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum mandatory penalty of 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Anyone with information on Reeves’ whereabouts is asked to contact the Ocean County Major Crimes Unit at 732-929-2027 or the Lakewood Police Department at 732-363-0200.

Members of the public should not approach suspect if observed, police said.