Hightstown man charged with murder in stabbing death

An 18-year-old Hightstown man has been charged with murder and weapons offenses after allegedly stabbing another man to death, according to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Wildwood Police Department.

Wildwood police responded to a call for a disturbance at 2:23 a.m. June 11, police said. When they arrived, they found a 20-year-old Cliffwood man fatally stabbed and two other people with stab wounds.

The stabbing incident grew out of a confrontation between two groups of people, police said.

One group was walking past another group that had gathered on the porch of a nearby house, police said. A verbal dispute between the two groups escalated into a physical confrontation.

The Hightstown man allegedly stabbed the Cliffwood man and stabbed two other people multiple times and then fled the scene, police said.

The man turned himself into the Wildwood Police Department June 12.

In addition to the murder charge, he was charged with attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, police said.

He was processed and taken to the Cape May County Correction Center, pending a court hearing.

The East Windsor and Hightstown police departments assisted the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and Wildwood Police Department in the investigation.