Overview
- Police shot and arrested Brian J. Lanzim outside a South Toms River home on April 29 after a confrontation, then doctors treated him and he was booked into the Ocean County Jail.
- Prosecutors told the court he drove from Bangor, Maine, with two guns, a bulletproof vest, and about 15 large-capacity magazines, saying he intended to kill the family to gain custody of his children.
- Judge Pamela M. Snyder read threats attributed to him, including a vow to leave the father “pulseless in the driveway” and the line “If I can’t have you no one can.”
- He is charged with three counts of attempted murder, plus burglary, terroristic threats, unlawful use of body armor, and 22 counts tied to large-capacity magazines, with a return to court set for May 18.
- Defense attorney Marissa Koerner said he has bipolar disorder and described the incident as a severe mental-health crisis that looked like a bid for “suicide by cop.”