TOMS RIVER — A Howell Township man was sentenced Friday to seven years in state prison after being convicted in a Jackson Township break-in and shooting that sent bullets into a home where adults and two children were inside, Ocean County prosecutors said.
Gardin A. Guevara-Umanzor, 47, received the sentence from Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer on a burglary conviction tied to the Oct. 13, 2024, incident, according to Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, Guevara-Umanzor must serve 85% of that sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Palmer also imposed concurrent prison terms of five years for unlawful possession of a weapon, with 42 months of parole ineligibility; 18 months for aggravated assault; and four years on each of two child endangerment counts.
A jury found Guevara-Umanzor guilty on all counts January 29, following a four-week trial before Palmer.
Authorities said Jackson police were called to a home on New Prospect Road at about 1:20 a.m. after a 911 report that Guevara-Umanzor had forced his way inside and started firing a handgun.
Investigators said Guevara-Umanzor fired five rounds. After the first shot, one person inside the residence tried to wrest the gun away, and both fell to the ground while the weapon continued to discharge. Other people in the house also moved to stop him, officials said.
Prosecutors said Guevara-Umanzor eventually dropped the handgun and ran from the home. Investigators later recovered the weapon at the scene and found him at a neighboring residence, where he was arrested without incident.
He has remained jailed in Ocean County since his arrest on October 13, 2024.
Billhimer credited Senior Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni and Assistant Prosecutor Emma Hurst for handling the case for the state. He also praised the Jackson Township Police Department, its detective bureau, the New Jersey State Police, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Trial Team Squad for their work on the investigation.
