Ocean County Man has been Charged with Murder

Woman Charged After Teen and Pets Found in Filthy Conditions

Ocean County Man has been Charged with Murder

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced on Thursday that a second individual has been taken into custody in connection with the early June shooting death of a man in Howell.

In connection with the murder of Rolando Acte Mejia, 36, of Howell, Salvador J. Cabellos Diaz, 47, of Jackson, has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.

According to investigators, Mejia was discovered deceased from two gunshot wounds in a parked car on White Street at approximately 6:45 a.m. on June 5 following a 911 call.

Juan Jesus Mejia Yanza, 33, was identified by detectives and taken into custody on June 13 on charges of first-degree murder and two associated second-degree weapons offenses, according to police.

The probable cause affidavit submitted after Yanza's arrest stated that Mejia, who had resided with the Yanzas, and Yanza's wife had been having an affair. According to the affidavit, Mejia had moved out months prior to his murder, but the woman persisted in her pursuit of him.

According to the affidavit, authorities claimed Yanza followed Mejia to the Wawa in Howell, where Mejia spoke with Yanza's wife. Yanza then allegedly followed Mejia after he left Wawa and pretended to be a police officer in order to stop him.

The prosecutor's office did not provide any details regarding Diaz's role or the timing of his identification, just stating on Thursday that he had been named as a suspect in the case. Authorities from Monmouth County have been asked to provide the probable cause document related to his arrest.

Since his arrest on June 13, Yanza has stayed in the Monmouth County jail. In anticipation of a detention hearing, Diaz is being detained at the Monmouth County jail.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the prosecutor's office, and anyone with information is encouraged to get in touch with Howell Detective Vincent Bonner at 732-938-4111 or Detective Kayla Santiago at 800-533-7443.

Howell has seen political repercussions as a result of the murder. Joseph Clark, the former Township Manager, resigned in late June and filed a whistleblower lawsuit in late July, claiming that Councilman Ian Nadel publicly blamed him for the murder in a social media post.

According to Nadel's tweet from June 6, "township officials" forbade the council from passing laws to address issues related to safety and quality of life. According to Clark's lawsuit, Nadel targeted immigrants with "blatantly discriminatory" conduct.