LONG BRANCH — A Monmouth County grand jury has returned a seven-count indictment against three teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man at Pier Village last summer, Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced.
The defendants — Dwayne Exilus, 19, Isaiah Z. Walker, 19, and Jahbron J. Goff, 18 — face multiple weapons and obstruction-related charges stemming from the June 12, 2025 shooting. Goff, whose name had previously been withheld because he was a juvenile at the time, was also indicted on a first-degree murder charge and a second-degree count of possessing a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
All three are charged with second-degree conspiracy to unlawfully possess a weapon, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree hindering, and fourth-degree possession of a prohibited weapon. Exilus and Walker each face an additional third-degree charge for hindering the apprehension of another.
Police were dispatched at approximately 8:58 p.m. to the Chelsea Avenue beach area of Pier Village after reports of gunfire. Officers found an 18-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound between the shoreline and the boardwalk. He was pronounced dead at the scene and later identified as Chrystofer A. Whyte of North Brunswick.
Investigators from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Long Branch Police Department determined that Goff was responsible for the shooting. Authorities allege Exilus, Walker and another juvenile unlawfully possessed firearms and took steps to conceal Goff’s role in the killing.
The investigation was assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and the police departments of Woodbridge, Linden and Metuchen.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner, director of the Major Crimes Bureau, and Assistant Prosecutor Janine Delucia. Goff is represented by attorney Anthony Aldorasi, Exilus by Emeka Nkowa, and Walker by Daniel Welsh.
Authorities emphasized that the charges are accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
