Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Director Kenneth McCormick of the North Brunswick Police Department said a man from Trenton was arrested today on charges that he provided drugs that caused the death of a 34-year old county resident.
Authorities charged Eric Laster, 21, of Trenton, with one count of strict liability for drug induced death for providing the fentanyl that killed the 34-year old man. He was also charged with distribution of a controlled and dangerous substance in the third degree.
According to officials, Laster was charged when toxicological testing showed that the victim died on May 20, 2018 after ingesting fentanyl. The Middlesex County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be acute fentanyl toxicity.
The defendant was arrested and charged following an investigation by Detective Seeta Jones of the North Brunswick Police Department and Sergeant Felix De La Cruz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
During the investigation it was determined that the defendant sold the fentanyl, on May 19, 2018, that killed the 34-year old man who died the following day.
Police say Laster is currently being held at the Mercer County Correctional Facility.
The investigation is active and is continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jones at (732) 247-0922, or Sergeant De La Cruz at (732) 745-4312.
As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against Laster are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.