TOMS RIVER — A Hazlet Township man has been sentenced to five years in state prison after admitting he intended to distribute cocaine following a police investigation in Brick Township, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
Brandon Torsiello, 25, received the prison term from Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan after pleading guilty in October to possessing more than one-half ounce but less than five ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute. He has remained in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
Authorities said members of the Brick Township Police Department Street Crimes Unit observed Torsiello involved in activity consistent with a drug transaction on December 5, 2024. Detectives conducted a motor vehicle stop as he left a parking lot. A K-9 from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office alerted to the presence of narcotics, leading to Torsiello’s arrest.
A search at police headquarters uncovered cocaine, methamphetamine, Xanax and suboxone, officials said. Two days later, detectives executed a court-approved search warrant on his vehicle and recovered additional cocaine and other controlled substances.
Billhimer credited Senior Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke for handling the case and praised the coordinated work of the Brick Township Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, which he said contributed to Torsiello’s conviction and sentence.
