BERKELEY – A local man with a string of run-ins with the law was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Angelo Grenci, 44, of Toms River, was charged with the stabbing that took place in the Manitou Park section of the township on November 14. Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.
Carlton Williams, 50, of Seaside Heights, had been stabbed in the neck and was flown to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick where he remains listed in critical condition as of press time.
Investigators believe Grenci stabbed Williams during an altercation in the area of Magnolia Avenue at around 7 p.m. on November 14. He was taken into custody at his home without incident.
Grenci had once been on an episode of the program “America’s Most Wanted” for an assault that included trying to run someone down with his car. He had also been charged with bank robbery on a separate instance, according to Patch.com. Grenci had tried to be an advocate for trying to turn youth away from a life of crime, and wrote a book about his life called “In Absentia.” However, there were charges for burglary intermittent with these attempts to steer people toward a better way of life.
“Each and every officer and detective involved in this investigation acted quickly and professionally in solving this horrendous crime. Through their tenacity and dedication, a very dangerous individual is now off the streets. As I have stated many times before, senseless acts of violence are not acceptable in any civilized society, and will certainly not be tolerated here in Ocean County,” Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
Prosecutor Billhimer and Berkeley Police Chief Karin DiMichele acknowledged the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Regional SWAT Team, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Toms River Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Department of Corrections, State of New Jersey Department of Corrections, and New Jersey State Parole Board, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation leading to Grenci’s swift apprehension.
