2 charged with murder after stabbing in Long Branch, NJ

LONG BRANCH — Two city men who had been arrested several times in the past year are now charged with murder.

Police found the bleeding body of Eren Kurkcu, 35, after responding to a report of a stabbing at 11:30 p.m. on March 7, near the 200 block of Broadway.

The city resident was rushed to a local hospital for treatment but did not survive his injuries. He was pronounced dead the next day.

Nija Faust, 21, and Santana Rivera-Cosme, 20, were charged with murder and weapons offenses.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office did not publicly say whether they knew what motivated the attack.

The suspects were already known to law enforcement.

A grand jury last month handed up an indictment against Rivera-Cosme on a car theft charge from September. He was also charged in November with assault in a fight.

Faust was charged in January with possessing an illegal handgun and bullets. In December, he was charged with aggravated assault on a cop and disorderly conduct in a fight.

Faust and Rivera-Cosme are now being held at Monmouth County Jail.

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