[chris]

At 3:59 a.m. on August 14, 2023, a 911 caller reported an armed break-in at his residence in Long Branch. Long Branch police officers were dispatched to the residence.

As officers responded in marked police vehicles, Officer Lucas Brito was involved in a collision with a civilian vehicle in the area of MacArthur and Elmwood Avenues. The driver of that vehicle, identified as Altonia Williams, 46, of Long Branch, was later identified as a suspect leaving the area of the residential break-in.

Tracee Blount, 38, of Long Branch, was the front-seat passenger in the vehicle. She was seriously injured and taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, where she was pronounced deceased at about 7:12 a.m.

Williams was taken into custody and transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center for treatment. Officer Brito was also taken there with non-life-threatening injuries and later released.

A state grand jury concluded its deliberations on February 5, 2024, and voted no bill, meaning no criminal charges would be filed against Officer Brito.

Watch the video of this incident here.