Man Stabbed To Death Breaking Up Fight In Toms River: Affidavit

TOMS RIVER, NJ ? A Brick Township man who was stabbed to death on May 9 was breaking up a fight between the boyfriend and cousin of a woman who lived at the Toms River home, according to the probable cause affidavit in the case.

Steven I. McNeill, 32, of Jackson, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, being a certain person not to possess a weapon and eluding, in the incident that happened in Toms River, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer has said.

He is accused of fatally stabbing Raniek Mendez, 34, of Brick Township, and of stabbing and injuring Roderick Seward, 30, of Toms River, Billhimer said. Seward was stabbed in the eye and punched in the face and chest, according to the affidavit.

The incident happened shortly after 7 a.m. on May 9 at the Adams Avenue home of McNeill's girlfriend, who also is Seward's cousin, according to the affidavit.

The woman told authorities she had been dating McNeill for about 6 months, and the night before the stabbing had gotten into an argument with McNeill over text messages she found in his phone, according to the affidavit.

The following morning, sometime after 5:30 a.m., the girlfriend went outside to smoke and Seward, who sometimes stayed at her home, arrived. When the two went inside, McNeill made a comment to the girlfriend, and Seward confronted McNeill, according to the affidavit.

McNeill and Seward got into an argument that escalated to a physical fight, but the woman was able to separate them briefly, she told authorities. The fight resumed and continued until a neighbor called 911 about 5:50 a.m., she told authorities.

McNeill and Seward left before police arrived, but McNeill returned a short time later, as police were leaving the house, the woman said. McNeill went inside and started breaking items in the house that belonged to Seward, according to the affidavit.

McNeill and the woman went into a bedroom to talk, and while they were talking they heard a noise outside the room, so McNeill went out to see what was going on. He then told his girlfriend there were two men in the house.

The two names are redacted in the complaint, but one was Mendez and the other was Seward, based on the description of events provided by the girlfriend, by Seward's sister and by Seward.

According to the affidavit, the girlfriend told authorities McNeill and Seward began arguing again and it turned physical. At that point, Mendez put himself between McNeill and Seward to try to break up the fight, and that's when Mendez got stabbed in the chest, the girlfriend said.

Mendez suffered a stab wound to the chest and two to the torso, the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office said.

She told authorities McNeill got pushed down on the couch and Seward brandished a handgun. McNeill then ran out of the back of the house with Seward chasing him, she said.

She tried to help Mendez out of the house, and as she went to get her phone she heard a gunshot, she said. As she tried to help Mendez, she saw Seward get in his vehicle and drive in the direction of McNeill, who was on the corner of the QuickChek property across the street, according to the affidavit.

Seward's sister told authorities that Seward called her and told her he had been stabbed by his cousin's boyfriend, referring to McNeill, the affidavit said. Seward's sister drove down to Toms River and picked him up and drove him to the hospital, she said. He asked her to hold onto a backpack with his belongings; authorities later seized the backpack, according to the affidavit.

Seward, who was interviewed at Ocean University Medical Center, told authorities he had gone to the house to pick up some clothing and had his cousin with him because they were going to the gym, according to the affidavit.

Seward told authorities that's when McNeill stabbed him, and he said the stabbing was unprovoked. He told authorities he did not know what had happened between his cousin and McNeill.

Seward's name is redacted in the affidavit, but he was identified as the second stabbing victim by the prosecutor's office in the initial information released on the incident.

Authorities said surveillance video from the QuickChek showed Seward appearing to drive at McNeill and leaving the area. It also showed McNeill having some kind of interaction with Mendez before McNeill got in his vehicle and drove off.

McNeill was later arrested on Whitesville Road after initially refusing to pull over for police, according to the police narrative accompanying the affidavit.

No firearm was found in McNeill's vehicle, Toms River police said in their report.

In the initial report from the prosecutor's office, no firearm has been recovered but authorities did find a 9mm shell casing outside the front of the girlfriend's home, according to the affidavit.

The initial information from the prosecutor's office said a backpack belonging to Seward was found at the Adams Avenue home and it was searched. Detectives seized an unspecified amount of cocaine, the prosecutor's office said. Seward has been charged with possession of less than a half-ounce of cocaine with intent to distribute and with possession of cocaine.

Related: Victims Identified, Details Released In Toms River Stabbing Incident

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