Trenton, NJ, man gets only 7 years in prison for fentanyl death in Ocean County

A man from Trenton is headed to prison in connection to a fentanyl-related death in Ocean County late last year.

Ryan Thompson of Trenton, NJ, Sentenced

Prosecutors say 35-year-old Ryan Thompson has been sentenced to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to a manslaughter charge in the death of a 55-year-old man in Berkeley Township on September 29th, 2023.

It was on that date when officers with the Berkeley Township Police Department responded to a home on Torrey Pines Drive and they found the body of a victim who had already died from an apparent drug overdose.

An investigation revealed that Thompson and his co-defendants, 38-year-old Michael Wormann of Toms River and 61-year-old Tina Martinez of Trenton, were involved in distributing fentanyl to the victim the day before.

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On September 30th, Wormann was charged and taken into custody, on October 17th, Martinez was arrested, and then on October 20th, authorities arrested Thompson.

Continuing police work confirmed the presence of fentanyl in the victim's system, which was what caused his death, and all three were charged accordingly.

This past March, both Wormann and Martinez pled guilty to distribution of fentanyl and they are scheduled to be sentenced next month. The state is recommending each be sentenced to about one year behind bars.