Crime & Safety

Governor, Family and Police Mourn Fallen Lakewood Police Officer

Manchester Resident and Howell Graduate Who Was Shot and Killed is Laid to Rest

The fiancee of Lakewood Police Officer Chris Matlosz told an overflow crowd at St. Mary of the Lake Church today that Matlosz spoke to her in spirit after he was shot to death.

Kelly Walsifer, shaken and choking back tears, told thousands of Matlosz' fellow officers at his funeral that before she even knew a Lakewood officer had been shot last Friday, her fiance whispered in her ear.

"I felt a warmth come over me and I heard Chris whisper in my ear, 'Everything is going to be OK,' " said Walsifer. "That's the kind of connection we had.

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"He was my soulmate, my life," Walsifer said of Matlosz, who lived with her at a home they had recently purchased in Manchester.

"We'd play jokes on each other constantly," she said. "Like when he would dump snow on me when I was in the shower," she said, making the crowd laugh.

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"He treated me as though I was the only person in the whole world who mattered to him," Walsifer said.

The only sound in the church during Walsifer's eulogy was people crying.

One speaker after another spoke lovingly of Matlosz, a Howell High School graduate, as a giver, a helper, a friend, and the life of the party.

Matlosz was shot to death last Friday on August Drive. Jahmell Crockam, 19, of Lakewood has been charged with murder and weapons charges in connection with allegedly shooting Matlosz.

Just before the funeral began, the Ocean County Prosecutor's office charged Crockam and Darius Johnson, also a Lakewood resident, with murder in connection with allegedly killing Justin Williams. The prosecutor's office declined to release any other details.

Mourners, including an estimated 10,000 police officers, packed the church, stood in the side aisles, and overflowed out the door and all over church grounds, listening to the Mass on speakers. 

Officers from every corner of New Jersey, as well as from New York City, Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del., were among those who came by car, motorcycle and bus.

Thousands of officers filled 11 buses that traveled from the Lakewood Blue Claws Stadium on Cedarbridge Road to the church on Route 9.

Governor Christie was among a number of speakers who paid tribute to Matlosz and expressed condolences to his fiancee, family, friends and fellow police officers.

More than 100 bagpipers and drummers played as Matlosz's casket was carried into the church between rows of saluting Lakewood officers.

Inside the church, an organ was playing and a singer sang, "Be not afraid - I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest" as the funeral procession moved up center aisle.

The casket for Matlosz  was placed in front of the altar at the start of the service as family and Lakewood police officers seated themselves in the front rows.

The Rev. David M. O'Connell, bishop of the Trenton Diocese, greeted the crowd, including the governor, then said opening prayers. He introduced the first reading by Dennis Dowden, who talked about how finding a "faithful friend" is a treasure.

Outside the church, SWAT teams carried guns close to their chest as they stood watch, awaiting the funeral procession honoring the officer. Officers from Toms River and elsewhere, however, played down the notion of gang retaliation.

The suspect, Jahmell Crockam, 19, is accused of killing Matlosz, a 27-year-old Lakewood police officer from Manchester who graduated from Howell High School in 2001.

Crockam plans to plead not guilty to the murder and weapons charges, said Frank Gonzales, a deputy public defender who is representing the suspect. He faces life in prison if convicted of murder, a court official said.

The murder was the second tragic event to hit the Matlosz family in six months. Matlosz's father, Anthony Peter "Buddy" Matlosz, died at 57 on Sept. 6, 2010, at home, according to an obituary that was published in The Asbury Park Press. The obituary was republished on Legacy.com.

The Legacy.com guest book included tributes from Chris Matlosz and his fiancee, Walsifer, who told Chris' father that she was "really excited for you to be my father-in-law."

“This will allow us to go forward and start to grieve,” Ford said of the arrest.

Matlosz was pronounced dead at Jersey Shore Medical Center shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, said Marlene Lynch Ford, Ocean County prosecutor. Matlosz's fiancee was at the hospital when he died, Ford said. He is survived by his brother and mother.

Matlosz was a member of the Lakewood Police department since 2006, according to Ford. He was formerly a police officer in Englishtown, and was a special officer in Long Branch, Manasquan and Freehold.

He received his associate degree from Brookdale Community College in 2004.

A viewing for Matlosz was held Wednesday from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Lakewood Funeral Home in Howell.

Crockam appeared in orange-and-white-striped prison garb Tuesday and said "yes" when asked by state Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels if he understood the charges against him.

Crockam faces murder and weapons charges that were filed against him while he was still at large between Friday night and 6:30 a.m. Sunday when he was arrested in Camden. The charges were filed after a police investigation established probable cause, authorities said.

He also faces a charge of possessing a firearm with the purpose of using it against another person in connection with allegedly shooting Matlosz, according to a copy of the signed complaint.

Bail will remain set at $5 million, which was set on Sunday, unless it's changed at a bail hearing in the future, Daniels said. No date has been set for any bail hearing or arraignment.

Police arrested Crockam at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, at Crestbury Apartments in Camden, where Crockam sought refuge, according to Ford. Police had received a tip and went to the complex.

Ford had said gang involvement in the Friday afternoon shooting was still under investigation.

Crockham goes by the street name of "Sav," short for savage, Ford said.

Crockham is accused of shooting Matlosz after he had pulled his patrol car up alongside Crockam on August Drive on Friday afternoon. Police believe that Matlosz had begun to talk to Crockham when he allegedly shot him.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Lakewood Police Department at 732-363-0200 or the Ocean County Prosecutors Office at 732-929-2027, or dial 911.

Updates and additional coverage on this story can be found at Patch's Jersey Shore news site and Patch's Jersey Shore Twitter feed.


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