Ocean County officials announced that Mr. Donald Rutter, 61, of Tuckerton, a fugitive from justice who was charged on January 6, 2021, with the Attempted Murder of Mr. Thomas Jarvis, 55, of Little Egg Harbor, was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in Atlantic City Thursday.
According to a statement released by Ocean County officials, on January 5, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Little Egg Harbor Township Police were dispatched to Jarvis Marine on Radio Road in response to a 911 call relating to an individual who had been shot.
Officials said responding Officers found Thomas Jarvis with an apparent gunshot wound to his midsection.
EMS rushed Jarvis to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. He has since been released from the hospital and is reportedly recovering from his injuries, officials said.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Major Crime Unit, revealed that Rutter was, in fact, the individual who shot Mr. Jarvis. An exhaustive search of the surrounding area by about a dozen law enforcement agencies was unsuccessful in locating Rutter in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Officials said a warrant was issued for Rutter’s arrest charging him with Attempted Murder and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
Ocean County officials said Rutter was ultimately located in Atlantic City then taken into custody, without incident, by the United States Marshals Service.
“I am extremely thankful for the outstanding teamwork exhibited by all the law enforcement agencies involved in locating Rutter. This is a prime example of law enforcement at its best, with our partners at the local, county, state, and federal levels coming together – working tirelessly for more than three weeks – to capture a fugitive from justice. Their collaboration and perseverance certainly paid off today, as Rutter is now lodged in the Ocean County Jail,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated.