A January taxi ride that turned violent in Howell Township has led investigators all the way to Georgia, where authorities say a second suspect is now in custody and expected to be brought back to New Jersey to face state charges.
Police identified the man as 20‑year‑old Baldemar Sandoval‑Herrera of Asbury Park. Detectives say he was located and arrested in Richmond County, Georgia, and that he is charged with first‑degree carjacking, second‑degree aggravated assault, second‑degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and third‑degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to Shore News Network.
What happened in January
On Jan. 16, a 46‑year‑old taxi driver picked up two passengers in Neptune and drove them to a parking lot on Preventorium Road across from Oak Glen Park. Once there, police say one of the men slashed the driver in the face and both took off in the cab.
The stolen taxi was later found abandoned on Maxim Road, and the injured driver was discovered bleeding on Old Tavern Road. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment. These details were reported by local outlets and confirmed by Howell Township police, according to Patch.
How police tracked the suspects
Howell detectives teamed up with the FBI Jersey Shore Safe Streets Task Force to track down the men suspected in the attack. One of them, 19‑year‑old Melvin J. Cruz‑Salmoran of Neptune Township, was arrested on Feb. 3 and remains held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution…