Jury Indicts Manchester Man in Long Branch Murder

By Christopher Sheldon

A Manchester resident was indicted by a Monmouth County Grand Jury on Nov. 13 on charges that he robbed and murdered a man who was found in a Long Branch backyard in April.

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said Alan Bienkowski, 54, is charged in the six-count indictment with first degree murder, first degree felony murder, first degree armed robbery, second degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second degree certain persons not to possess a weapon.

Bienkowski has been held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $1.45 million cash only bail since his arrest in May for the death of Michael Wells, 56, of Point Pleasant. 

Wells worked for Dutch Prime Foods at the time of his murder and the Long Branch company notified the Long Branch Police that he was missing at 5 a.m. on April 10

At 7:45 a.m., a resident of a nearby neighborhood reported a man, later identified as Wells, was lying in her yard.

On May 16 Bienkowski was arrested and charged for the murder. 

If convicted of murder or felony murder, Bienkowski faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in a state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He would also be under parole supervision for five years following his release from state prison.

If convicted of armed robbery, he faces a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and would also be subject to five years of parole supervision upon his release from prison.