Long Branch Adults, Teens Charged with Attempted Murder of Bicyclist

Two adults and two teens from Long Branch are charged with the August 2 brutal beating of a bicyclist who was first thought to have been hit by a car.

Erick Ponce-Vasquez, 19; Nick Robles, 21; and the 17 and 15-year-olds are charged with attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, according to details from the office of acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Grammiccioni.

Long Branch police responded to a 911 call around 10:10 PM, that described a bike rider apparently hit by a vehicle on Third and Chelsea Avenues.

Investigators quickly learned that the 33-year-old victim, also of Long Branch, had been beaten with a baseball bat. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Bail for Ponce-Vasquez and Robles are in the Monmouth County Correctonal Facility in Freehold, in lieu of $1,050,000 each. The juveniles were placed in the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center.

Authorities are still in search of people familiar with the incident. Reach Detective Andrea Tozzi in the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, 800-533-7443; or Long Branch PD Detective Marshall Brown, 732-222-1000.