Crime & Safety

Witness Identification Questioned in Matlosz Murder Trial

Prosecution witnesses took the stand in the murder trial of former Englishtown police officer Christopher Matlosz

A prosecution witness placed Jahmell Crockam at the scene of a Lakewood police officer and former Englishtown police officer's death during the first day of testimony at the 20-year-old's murder trial Wednesday afternoon. 

But the defense questioned why Aaron Pitter, who was clearing ice from the sidewalk in front of his August Drive home — about 60 feet from where the shooting of officer Christopher Matlosz occured — had never identified Crockam as the man he saw when presented with a photo lineup last year.

"Because you're here in the courtroom, in living color, that makes the difference?" asked defense attorney Mark Fury during the Ocean County Superior Court proceedings, to which Pitter responded affirmatively.

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Leading up to the trial, Pitter never had said conclusively whether it was Crockam, a Lakewood resident, who he saw that day. He had eliminated four photos from a six-photo lineup following the Jan. 14, 2011 shooting of the officer, who lived in Manchester, but could not determine which from the remaining two was the shooter.

Fury asked Pitter why he could now identify Crockam after failing to do so through photos; seeing him in person made the difference, Pitter said.

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William J. Heisler, chief assistant Ocean County prosecutor, then again asked Pitter if Crockam was the man he saw that day.

"Is this the guy you saw shoot the police officer?" Heisler asked.

"I'm almost definite," Pitter responded. 

Fury also took issue with the description Pitter gave to police, which was of an African American man about 5'8" to 5'10" tall, with stocky build, round face and large lips wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

"Your description, even at its best, doesn't exclude a lot of people," Fury said.

Pitter recounted the moments leading up to the shooting. He said that after seeing a man emerge from the woods and approach Matolsz' car, about 30 seconds later he heard shots which he said sounded like a cap gun. Pitter turned toward the sounds and saw smoke coming from the officer's car. As the man fled the scene, Pitter hid behind his car before heading inside to call police.

That brief 911 call was played for the jury. Pitter, sounding distraught, provided a general description of the shooter before police were dispatched to the scene.

Two Lakewood officers and a dispatcher took the stand earlier in the day. Sgt. Steven Vigna, a 23-year veteran of the force, was on duty at the time of the shooting and recalled responding to the shooting. 

"There were no signs of life that I could detect," he said when he approached the officer's patrol car. 

Vigna's testimony was mostly establishing the scene, as the prosecution acquainted the jury with the neighborhood where Matlosz was killed through the use of large display maps and photos presented on a TV screen. Vigna also said that he turned on the patrol car's mobile video recorder upon arrival, since it records about 30 seconds of video prior to being activated. Photos of the car, including interior shots showing a blood-stained front seat, where also shown. 

Capt. Gregory Meyer, who has been with Lakewood for 26 years, testified that he secured Matlosz' weapon from his body after the shooting. Video of Meyer securing Matlosz' gun — which he said was safely secured in its holster — was shown from the patrol car's camera.

The prosecution asked whether removing the gun from its holster while seated is possible.

"It's extremely difficult," Meyer said. He demonstrated the steps required to remove a holstered weapon for the jury. 

Fury asked Meyer whether Matlosz should have called for backup if or readied his weapon if he planned to exit his car to speak with Crockam. 

"We don't teach people to take their gun out of a holster before they get out of their car," he said. 

A dispatcher, Natalie Tomassini, was working that afternoon and was aiding Matlosz in identifying a man in the Golf View apartments shortly before the shooting. Text transmissions showed that Matlosz was trying to identify a "black male" with "medium build" when the officer drove into the neighborhood. 

Fury asked if there was any way Tomassini could know whether the man Matlosz spotted was the same person who approached his car, to which she replied "no."

Earlier in the day, attorneys for the prosecution and defense . Witness testimony is expected to continue at 9 a.m. Thursday.


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