Crime & Safety

Man Found Dead In Berkeley Municipal Court Bathroom Tuesday Night

Investigation ongoing through the night, more details to be released later today

By Patricia A. Miller

by Patricia A. Miller

Berkeley police found a man dead in the municipal court bathroom tonight, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Sgt. James J. Smith said.

Sgt. Brian Woermer discovered the body of the white male around 10:45 p.m. Smith said.

The name of the man is being withheld pending notification of kin, he said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the county Criminal Investigations Unit, and the Ocean County Sheriff's Department are heading to the scene now.

Municipal court was not in session on Tuesday or Tuesday night. The courtroom was locked. The man apparently gained entrance to the building through the lobby door. There are separate bathrooms for men and women in the lobby, Smith said.

"We don't know what time he came in," Smith said.

Police began to search public buildings tonight, after a car was found in the Town Hall parking lot believed to belong to a person reported missing, he said.

Patrolman Jonathan Mulvihill had already begun investigating the missing person report earlier Tuesday. Detective Joseph Santoro and Patrolman Scott Stoker discovered the car in the parking lot, Smith said.

"We are still trying to determine if it's the person reported missing," he said.
"The investigation will continue throughout the night and more details will be released tomorrow," Smith said late Tuesday night.

Come back to Berkeley Patch for more details on this story on Wednesday.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.