FREEHOLD – A Jackson Township (Ocean County) man is the second to be arrested and criminally charged in connection with a fatal shooting that took place in Howell Township in early June, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Thursday.
Salvador J. Cabellos Diaz, 47, was charged with first-degree Murder, second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
Shortly before 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, members of the Howell Township Police Department responded to White Street for a report of a possibly deceased man inside a parked vehicle. Upon arrival, officers found an adult male, later identified as Rolando Acte Mejia, 36, of Howell, dead from two gunshot wounds.
An investigation involving members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Howell Township Police Department determined that the shooting was an isolated incident, and there was no further danger to the public. Investigators later identified Juan Jesus Mejia Yanza, 33, of Howell and Diaz as suspects in the case. Yanza was taken into custody without incident at his home on June 13 and remains in custody.
Diaz remains in custody at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending future proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court. Information about his legal representation was not immediately available.
This matter remains under investigation, and anyone with information is urged to contact MCPO Detective Kayla Santiago at 800-533-7443 or Howell Police Department Detective Vincent Bonner at 732-938-4111.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Luciano of the Major Crimes Bureau.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.
