Prosecutors Charge 3 For Drug-induced Death in Ocean County, NJ

Officials in Ocean County have charged three people in connection to the drug-induced death of a man this past September.

It was on September 29th that officers with the Berkeley Township Police Department responded to a home on Torrey Pines Drive for a report of an unresponsive man. When they arrived, they found the man who had already died from an apparent drug overdose.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office found that 38-year-old Michael Wormann of Toms River along with 35-year-old Ryan Thompson and 61-year-old Tina Martinez, both of Trenton, allegedly distributed fentanyl to the victim the day before.

• On September 30th, Wormann was arrested at his home on several fentanyl-related charges.

• On October 17th, Martinez was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and taken into custody at her home.

• On October 20th, Thompson was also charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and arrested at his home.

Additional work by detectives confirmed the presence of fentanyl in the victim’s system. Based upon the toxicology analysis, all three were then charged with strict liability induced death.

After being served with the latest charge, Wormann was released from jail as per state bail reform guidelines while Thompson and Martinez remain behind bars pending court proceedings.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer thanked the Berkeley Township and Trenton Police Departments, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, the New Jersey State Police, and the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office for their work in this case.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.