Long Branch Man Indicted for Attempted Red Bank Murder

A Long Branch man has been indicted by a Monmouth County grand jury in an attempted murder that occurred in April in Red Bank, officials said.

The four-count indictment, which also included weapons charges against Anthony Sims, Jr., 25, who formerly lived in Red Bank, stems from the April 9 shooting of a 28-year-old victim in the area of 13 Willow Street. The man was discovered by police with multiple gunshot wounds throughout his body, prosecutors have said.

The victim was medevaced to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, where he received life-saving treatment, said Charles Webster, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.

Sims is being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, on $1 million cash only bail, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen.

A joint investigation by Red Bank police and detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Webster said in a statement Wednesday, determined Sims approached the victim armed with a handgun and fired numerous shots into the victim before fleeing the scene. Sims was arrested and charged April 14 with attempted murder and related charges as a result of the investigation.

Sims is facing charges of first degree attempted murder, first degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second degree certain persons not to possess weapons.

Anyone with information concerning this incident is being encouraged to call Detective Robert Campanella, of the Red Bank Police Department, at 732-530-2719 or Detective Brian Weisbrot, of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, at 1-800-533-7443. Individuals wishing to provide information may also call Monmouth County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-671-4400. Callers to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and are eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $5,000, for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of a suspect or fugitive.

If convicted of the attempted murder charge, Sims faces a 20 year prison term. The weapons charges carry additional jail time upon conviction.