In the early hours of August 27, 2022, the scene at the Top Tier Hookah Lounge in Toms River, New Jersey, turned from a social gathering into one of violence and tragedy. Nymere Tinsley, a 25-year-old male from Brick Township, was fatally shot in the lower abdomen and pronounced dead at the scene. The incident, which occurred around 1:20 a.m. at the lounge on Hooper Avenue, also left two other men wounded.
Anthony Miller, 29, of Neptune Township, was shot in the stomach, and Jamal Bland, 24, of Asbury Park, suffered a gunshot wound to his elbow; both were transported to a local medical center where they were treated for their injuries and subsequently released.
A thorough and extensive investigation into the shooting was launched by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit, the Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Their collaborative efforts soon identified a suspect: Eric Manzanares, a 22-year-old from Asbury Park. Authorities determined that Manzanares was responsible for the shooting of all three victims and promptly issued a warrant for his arrest. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses. However, Manzanares had fled and was considered a fugitive from justice, leading to his name being entered into the National Crime Information Center database.
After a months-long search, Eric Manzanares was apprehended by law enforcement on April 7, 2023, in Prince William County, Virginia. At the time of his arrest, he was 23 years old. He was held at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center before being extradited to Ocean County, New Jersey, on January 24, 2024, to face the charges against him. He has since been lodged in the Ocean County Jail. In August 2024, an Ocean County grand jury indicted Manzanares, now 24, on charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and several weapons-related offenses in connection with the death of Nymere Tinsley and the injuries sustained by the other two victims. The shooting led to the shutdown of the Top Tier Hookah Lounge by Toms River officials due to multiple zoning and code violations.
