Resident Killed In Fight With Door-To-Door Solicitor

Michael Tsamas (Photo courtesy Ocean County Jail)

  JACKSON – A man going door-to-door soliciting business was confronted by a resident. In the ensuing fight, the solicitor fatally stabbed him.

  Michael Tsamas, 32, of Laurence Harbor, was charged with Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.

  On May 26, Tsamas was working for a company hired by Verizon to solicit customers on a door-to-door basis. He knocked on the door of Joseph Delgardio, 44, of Jackson.

  Delgardio told Tsamas he wasn’t interested and Tsamas left, police said. A short time later, Delgardio confronted Tsamas on the street on West Veterans Highway near Conor Road. They began to fight, and Tsamas took a knife from his pocket and stabbed Delgardio in the neck.

  First responders attempted to revive the victim but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

  Tsamas was arrested without incident.

  Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Jackson Chief Matthew Kunz commend the collaborative efforts of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Jackson Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.