Ocean County, NJ, Man Sentenced For Stabbing in Supermarket Parking Lot

An Ocean County man now knows his fate in connection to a stabbing in a supermarket parking lot more than two years ago.

On Tuesday, 35-year-old Michael Stallworth of Seaside Heights was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to an aggravated assault charge.

Authorities say on the afternoon of July 26th, 2021, officers with the Brick Township Police Department were called to the parking lot of ShopRite on Route 70 where they found a 44-year-old man who had stab wounds to his back.

The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he was treated and released.

An investigation resulted in Stallworth being identified as a suspect. Initially a fugitive from justice, he surrendered to police about a month later.

Stallworth is currently in the Essex County Correctional Facility serving a sentence on a federal violation of probation.

The sentencing in the stabbing case falls under the No Early Release Act, which means he must serve 85 percent, or about six years, of his prison term before becoming eligible for parole.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer thanked the Brick and Lakewood Township Police Departments and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office for their work in this case.