A Man’s Identify is Being Sought in Connection with a Series of Burglaries
December 13, 2021In Ocean County, a Carjacking Suspect was Arrested, and a Person Was Injured
December 13, 2021
Jeremy W. Barringer, 46, of Toms River, NJ
More than a month after crashing his Jeep Liberty into a power pole on Route 35 in the early morning hours of Oct. 24, the whereabouts of a heavily armed convicted sex offender in a bulletproof vest remain unknown.
The 5.56 mm semiautomatic rifle was discovered on the floor of the wrecked vehicle's backseat by a responding police officer. According to court filings, the AR-15 style weapon was loaded with 21 rounds of 5.56 mm "full metal jacket" ammunition.
The term "full metal jacket" refers to military-grade bullets that have stronger outer shells than the metals in their centers. These bullets are made to penetrate deeper through animal or human flesh, as well as structural walls.
According to court documents, a black 9 mm semiautomatic pistol with no serial number (also known as a "ghost gun") was discovered in the Jeep, along with 14 rounds of hollow-point ammunition, three 9 mm pistol magazines loaded with hollow-point ammunition, and three 30-round rifle magazines loaded with 5.56 mm ammunition.
In his arrest report, Mantoloking Patrolman Logan LaRue noted that Barringer "looked to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol."
According to a summary of the incident from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and the FBI, which has become involved in the investigation, when LaRue ordered Barringer to step out of the vehicle, the officer noticed that Barringer was wearing "a tactical, bulletproof vest and an empty handgun holster on his hip."
Barringer says he had just woken up and had no idea how he got there or where he was in video captured from police body cameras from Bay Head officers who responded as backup at the scene.
Barringer, who was not hurt in the incident, was escorted to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation by police and a local first aid squad. He was charged with 13 weapons-related counts, including being a convicted sex offender in possession of a weapon and possessing 80 5.56 hollow-point rounds of ammunition and 59 9mm hollow-point bullets, and was remanded to the custody of the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, according to police.
According to property records, he has lived in Toms River for at least the past two years, and he owns a three-bedroom ranch house on Binnacle Lane in the Shelter Cove area, which he purchased for $200,966 in August 2019.
