HOWELL — A 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the carjacking and stabbing of a taxi driver last month, authorities said.
A patrol officer with the Howell Township Police Department discovered the injured driver at approximately 11:15 p.m. Jan. 16 on Old Tavern Road. The 46-year-old man, who was bleeding from the face, told police he had been slashed with a knife by one of two passengers at the end of a fare before they stole his taxi.
Police said the driver had picked up the two men in Neptune Township and transported them to a parking lot across from Oak Glen Park. Upon arrival, one suspect allegedly produced a knife and cut the driver’s face. The victim fled on foot toward Old Tavern Road while the suspects drove off in the stolen vehicle.
Responding officers later found the abandoned taxi on Maxim Road and established a perimeter. A K-9 track was conducted, but the suspects were not immediately located.
The driver was treated for a facial laceration at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and was listed in stable condition.
Following an investigation led by Detective Vincent Bonner, police identified one suspect as Melvin J. Cruz-Salmoran, 19, a Mexican national last known to reside in Neptune Township. He was charged Feb. 1 with first-degree carjacking, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
On Feb. 3, Howell detectives, working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Jersey Shore Safe Streets Task Force, located and arrested Cruz-Salmoran in Neptune Township, authorities said. Police reported that others at the residence attempted to conceal his whereabouts.
Also taken into custody were Jose Luis Acevedo Jimenez, 27, who faces immigration-related charges for allegedly lying to federal agents; Jennifer Lopez, 22, of Neptune, who was charged locally with providing false information to authorities and later released pending court; and Jovanni Cruz-Salmoran, 29, who was arrested on a federal removal warrant.
Cruz-Salmoran was processed at police headquarters and lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending court proceedings. The two men facing immigration matters were transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to identify and apprehend the second assailant. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Bonner at 732-938-4575 ext. 2647.
The charges are accusations only. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
