The Lacey Township Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance regarding the facts surrounding the stabbing/slashing incident which occurred at the Forked River House just after 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, 2013. During a large brawl that extended from inside the building out into the parking lot, 21-year-old Saul Garcia from Whitesville Road in Jackson (formerly of Lakewood) was stabbed through the forearm with a large knife and lacerated up toward the elbow. Saul Garcia was transported to Community Medical Center then flown to Jersey Shore Trauma Center.
Upon receiving the 911 call for assistance from a female caller at 2:21 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, 2013, officers arrived at the Forked River House to find well over 100 people engaged in fighting and aggressive behavior in the parking lot. The Ocean Township (Waretown) Police Department and the Berkeley Township Police Department were called upon to assist with the unruly and hostile crowd. While dealing with the hostile crowd in the parking lot, officers learned that a stabbing victim was incapacitated within the building. The stabbing victim, 21-year-old Saul Garcia, was attended to at the scene by officers while the remaining officers dealt with the hostile crowd outside the building.
The amount of blood and damage at the scene was indicative of injuries well beyond the stabbing victim within the establishment. The patrons who were active in the fight(s) fled the area. A check of the area hospitals revealed that 24-year-old Jose Garcia of Whitesville Road in Jackson (formerly of Lakewood) had arrived at the Community Medical Center Emergency Room for treatment of significant injuries to his face and jaw due to the fight at the Forked River House.
Blood was present throughout the establishment as well as outside the building consistent with multiple persons sustaining significant injuries, yet at this time, only the two aforementioned victims have been identified. Jose Garcia was initially treated at Community Medical Center and released while his brother, Saul Garcia, is being treated at the Jersey Shore Medical Center and is listed in stable condition. This agency has learned that since being released from Community Medical Center, Jose Garcia was later admitted to the Jersey Shore Medical Center for surgery due to the severity of his facial injuries.
This matter is under continuing investigation. The Lacey Township Police Department is asking that anyone with information regarding the incident please contact Detective Brian Flynn at 609-693-6636, ext. 2593 or leave a detailed crime tip (anonymous) through the police department website at www.laceypd.org/crime-tips/ .