Ocean County authorities said Mr. Anthony Chieffo, 25, of Brick Township, and Mr. Alexander Santos, 22, also of Brick Township, were each charged with Retaliation Against a Witness and three counts of Terroristic Threats.
According to officials, on March 29, 2021, a Brick Township Police Detective reported receiving threatening phone calls and text messages on his police department-issued cellular phone; the threats were directed at the Detective and members of his family.
A subsequent investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit revealed that the threatening calls and text messages had originated from Chieffo’s cell phone.
Officials said on March 30, 2021, detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit performed a motor vehicle stop in Brick Township on a vehicle being operated by Santos, in which Chieffo was a passenger.
Santos and Chieffo were taken into custody and transported to Brick Township Police Headquarters where they were charged accordingly.
Both defendants are currently lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending their respective detention hearings.