TOMS RIVER – A memorial now stands outside the Route 37 Wawa where 42-year-old Toms River resident Bruce Gress was shot behind the wheel of his pickup truck during what had begun as a routine stop before work. Nearly a week after the September 18 killing, the 51-year-old man charged with his murder remained at large Thursday, sources confirmed.
Douglas C. Cobb of Toms River, who authorities said also uses the name Douglas Green and the nickname “Bootknock,” is wanted on murder and weapons charges. The probable cause affidavit released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office to Jersey Shore Online does not indicate whether the men knew one another or explain what led to their confrontation.
Gress regularly stopped at the Wawa near Garfield Avenue before heading to construction jobs, while Cobb was known to employees as a customer who came in for coffee and sometimes cigarettes. Their morning routines crossed shortly after 7 a.m., leaving Gress dead and Cobb the subject of a continuing manhunt.
Two Morning Routines Cross
Surveillance footage showed a dark-colored Acura entering the Wawa parking lot from Route 37 at approximately 6:58 a.m. The driver parked outside the view of the cameras, walked into the store and bought coffee with a red bank card before leaving about three minutes later.
Gress had started his morning by walking his dog shortly before 7 a.m., according to his girlfriend. He arrived in his blue Ford F-250 at approximately 7:12 a.m., pulled up to the gas pumps and went inside the store.
About five minutes later, Gress returned to his truck and began pulling away. A witness in a vehicle directly behind the Acura told investigators that it pulled alongside Gress’ truck, positioning the two driver’s-side doors near one another.
Gress got out and approached the area between the vehicles, where he and the Acura’s driver engaged in a verbal exchange. The other driver never got out, according to the affidavit.
The witness said Gress dropped his cellphone, picked it up and returned to his truck. The witness then heard a single “pop,” saw the Acura leave and watched Gress’ head drop as he appeared to slump in the driver’s seat.
Wawa surveillance cameras captured the interaction, although the video quality did not allow detectives to see the shooting clearly. Investigators reported seeing what appeared to be a muzzle flash between 7:19 and 7:20 a.m.
Toms River police received the 911 call at 7:19 a.m. Officers found Gress suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and rendered aid before he was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. He was pronounced dead at 8:51 a.m. A postmortem examination determined that he died from the gunshot wound and classified his death as a homicide.
How Investigators Identified Cobb
Surveillance footage placed the Acura at the QuickChek farther west on Route 37 at approximately 7:21 a.m. The driver stopped behind the building for about two minutes before leaving. The vehicle then crossed Route 37 on Fischer Boulevard at approximately 7:24 a.m.
A Wawa employee who served the man that morning recognized him as a regular customer. She described him as muscular and approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall. She said she had heard him talk about going to the gym, construction work and flipping houses.
The employee said she had previously seen the customer driving a newer white pickup truck rather than an Acura. Investigators traced the bank card used for the coffee purchase to Cobb, according to the affidavit.
Detectives said the customer’s build, goatee and arm tattoos appeared to match Cobb. They compared the tattoos with body-camera footage from previous police interactions with him. The affidavit said Cobb was known to police through numerous prior contacts and described him as having an extensive criminal history.
A license plate reader image taken outside Cobb’s Toms River residence on September 7 provided another connection. It showed his white Chevrolet pickup and a dark Acura registered to him that detectives said resembled the vehicle captured at the Wawa.
Phone Search Reached a Dead End
Police had a telephone number associated with Cobb from an unrelated contact with Toms River officers in July. Hours after Gress was killed, investigators obtained court approval to use real-time location information from the phone.
Beginning at approximately 5:14 p.m., the device repeatedly returned the same location. Detectives searched that location and the surrounding area but did not find Cobb. The affidavit does not say whether the phone was recovered.
Investigators later searched Cobb’s residence and canvassed the neighborhood for surveillance footage, according to sources familiar with the search. Cobb was not found at the home.
Authorities said Cobb was last seen driving a black 2016 Acura MDX bearing New Jersey license plate T93YJL. Sources confirmed on September 24 that he had not been apprehended.
No Motive Disclosed
Gress’ girlfriend told detectives they had been together for approximately two years and began living together in Toms River in May. She described him as a “homebody” who generally kept to himself, although she said he could become verbally confrontational if someone said something to him.
She said those disputes did not become physical and denied knowing of anyone who had a problem with Gress or to whom he owed money. She said he had stayed out of trouble during their relationship.
Gress was convicted of attempted murder in Florida following a 2014 assault on a 21-year-old woman and was sentenced to seven years in prison. New Jersey court records show that he pleaded guilty in 2022 to third-degree aggravated assault and received two years of probation conditioned on a 364-day county jail term.
Nothing in the court documents connects either prior case to Gress’ killing. Investigators have not disclosed a motive for the confrontation with Cobb.
Murder And Weapons Charges
Cobb is charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and being a person prohibited from having a firearm. The complaint alleges that he fired a single round that struck Gress in the head.
The prohibited-person charge is based on a prior second-degree conviction for distributing a controlled dangerous substance. Prosecutors allege that the conviction barred Cobb from legally possessing a firearm.
Anyone with credible information about Cobb’s whereabouts should contact the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit at 732-929-2027 or the Toms River Township Police Department at 732-349-0150.
The charges are accusations, and Cobb is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
