Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on June 10, 2024, Anthony Collins, 41, of Seaside Heights, pled guilty to Manslaughter before the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., in connection with the death of Robert May, 70, of Seaside Heights, on October 1, 2023, in the Borough of Seaside Heights. At the time of his sentencing on August 9, 2024, the State will be seeking a term of three years New Jersey State Prison, subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act.
On September 18, 2023, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Officers from the Seaside Heights Police Department responded to the area of Central Avenue and Sumner Avenue for a report of a fall victim. Responding Officers found a male victim – later identified as Robert May – laying on the ground next to his bicycle. Mr. May was observed to be bleeding from a laceration to his head. Mr. May was initially treated at the scene and refused further medical assistance; he thereafter left the area and returned to his residence. A subsequent investigation by the Seaside Heights Police Department revealed that Mr. May was assaulted by another individual, which caused him to fall off his bicycle and strike his head on the pavement.
On September 18, 2023, at approximately 5:00 p.m., the Seaside Heights Police Department received information that Mr. May had been acting erratically subsequent to his fall, resulting in him being transported by the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad from his home to Community Medical Center in Toms River. Mr. May’s condition continued to deteriorate, and he was subsequently transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. On October 1, 2023, Mr. May succumbed to his injuries. A post-mortem examination conducted on that date by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of Mr. May’s death to be blunt force injury resulting from the assault which occurred in Seaside Heights on September 18, 2023, and the manner of his death to be homicide.
A continuing investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Seaside Heights Police Department determined that Collins was, in fact, the individual who assaulted Mr. May on September 18th, ultimately resulting in his death.
On October 4, 2023, a warrant was issued for Collins’ arrest, and his name was entered in the National Crime Information Center database. On October 15, 2023, Collins surrendered himself at Seaside Heights Police Department Headquarters. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since that date.
“Certain proof problems in this case resulted in the State entering into a plea agreement with a recommended sentence that is below the normal sentencing range for manslaughter. The victim’s family recognizes and understands those issues, and is in support of this resolution. I commend them for their compassionate and forgiving nature,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Julie Peterson, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Seaside Heights Police Department Detective Bureau, Seaside Heights Police Department, Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, and United States Marshals Service, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation, leading to Collins’ arrest, guilty plea, and soon his state prison sentence.