Toms River self-inflicted gun wound case on hold

The probe into the September incident involving a Seaside Heights man who shot himself in a car outside a Toms River convenience store goes on a back burner until lengthy hospitalization is completed.

New information from township police indicates that the unidentified 30-year-old is a military veteran listed on active duty. Police did not disclose his identity, branch of service, home base, or assignment, nor did they offer details about circumstances that enabled him to be in Ocean County at the time.

Police said that following his release from medical centers in Toms River and Neptune Township, he entered hospital in Virginia to undergo a series of procedures that might last as long as a year.

The individual's wife alerted authorities, who cordoned off the parking lot and began negotiations to drop the weapon that continued for three and a half hours, until 2:15 AM on September 28.

Any determination of whether charges would ensue would be pursued once he is discharged from hospitalization, police said.