Man charged in fatal shooting at Toms River hookah lounge

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Monmouth County man has been charged with killing a Brick Township man in a shooting that left two others injured at a hookah lounge in Toms River in 2022, the Ocean County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Eric Manzanares, 24, of Asbury Park, was indicted Wednesday by an Ocean County grand jury on charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a high-capacity magazine and two counts of violating firearms regulations. All of those charges are related to the killing of 25-year-old Nymere Tinsley of Brick Township, said District Attorney Bradley D. Billhimer.

An arrest warrant was issued for Manzanares following the investigation into the shooting at the Top Tier Hookah Lounge, 1769 Hooper Ave., that occurred around 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 27, authorities said. He was arrested in Virginia in April 2023 and extradited to New Jersey in January.

Tinsley was shot in the abdomen and died at the scene, authorities said. Anthony Miller, 29, of Neptune Township, and Jamal Bland, 24, of Asbury Park, were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. Miller was shot in the abdomen and Bland suffered a gunshot wound to the elbow. Both were treated and later released from the hospital.

Investigators concluded that Manzanares was responsible for the shooting, and he was charged later that day with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, Billhimer said.

The fatal shooting resulted in Toms River authorities closing the business, revoking its use permit, and fining the business and property owner $4,500 for numerous zoning and building code violations.

The community's Quality of Life Task Force had investigated the lounge after numerous complaints about activity at the business, which was briefly located in the Anchorage Square shopping center before moving to the Silverton Shopping Center, where the shooting occurred.

Billhimer said the following agencies were involved in the investigation of the shooting and the arrest and extradition of Manzanares: the Major Crimes and High Tech Crimes Units of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the Toms River Police Department, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, the Asbury Park Police Department, the United States Marshals Service and the Prince William County (Virginia) Police Department.

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