SEASIDE HEIGHTS – A local man will be jailed for three years for fatally striking a man who called him a racial slur.
Anthony Collins, 41, of Seaside Heights will have to serve 85 percent of his term without being eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act.
On September 18, 2023, around 4 p.m., Seaside Heights Police officers found Robert May, 70, of Seaside Heights laying on the ground next to his bicycle in the area of Central Avenue and Sumner Avenue. May was bleeding from a laceration to his head and was initially treated at the scene. May refused further medical assistance and left to return to his home, authorities said.
It was later discovered that May was assaulted, which caused him to fall off his bicycle and hit his head on the pavement.
About an hour later, police were informed that May had been acting erratically after his fall, resulting in him being transported by the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad from his home to Community Medical Center in Toms River.
May’s condition continued to deteriorate, and he was transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He succumbed to his injuries on October 1, 2023, officials said.
Authorities later determined that Collins was the one who assaulted May, resulting in his death.
On October 4, 2023, a warrant was issued for Collins’ arrest. The following day, 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 calling for a sentence that is below the normal sentencing range for manslaughter,” Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. “The victim’s family was cognizant of those issues, and supported this resolution. I commend them for their understanding and forgiving nature.”
Collins’ defense attorney, Terrance Turnbach, told reporters that Collins had been approached by May, who called him a racial slur. In response, Collins punched May once, which led to the fatal injury.
“Mr. Collins has accepted responsibility for his conduct on September 18, 2023,” Turnbach said. “He is eager to complete his period of incarceration (three years) and return to his children, his fiancé and his work.”
Billhimer acknowledged the 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 now his state prison sentence.
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