A Monmouth County grand jury returned an indictment on June 28, charging Jermaine Foster, 34, of Plainfield, with firstdegree attempted murder, second- degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance in connection with the shooting of a Keyport woman.
The charges stem from a February 2011 shooting that took place outside the Red Oak Diner in Hazlet.
According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the shooting resulted in the hospitalization of Foster’s former girlfriend, a 35-year-old Keyport woman employed by the diner as a waitress.
At approximately 4:47 a.m. Feb. 6, Hazlet police officers responded to the Red Oak Diner on Route 35, following a report of a disturbance. Officers arrived and found the victim unresponsive, lying in a flowerbed, according to a press release from the Prosecutor’s Office. Several diner employees were tending to the victim, and officers administered first aid to the victim until emergency medical services arrived.
The victim was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, where she underwent several surgeries for gunshot wounds to her face, arm, neck and upper torso.
The investigation revealed that Foster had arrived at the diner earlier that morning in search of the victim and had begun to argue with the victim over her attempts to end their relationship. The argument continued outside the diner, where Foster allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot the victim several times in the face, neck, arm and upper torso, according to the press release.
Several hours after the shooting, the police tracked Foster to a house in Linden, where detectives from the Hazlet Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, with the assistance of the Linden Police Department, apprehended Foster without incident.
At the time of Foster’s arrest, the police recovered a handgun inside the house, authorities said. Foster was subsequently transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, where he remains incarcerated in lieu of $1 million bail.