Suspect arrested in assault
BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer

LAKEWOOD - Lee Tucker, 37, of Lakewood, was arrested and charged with attempted murder last week in connection with the Oct. 9 assault of a township resident.

Police said Tucker was arrested at about 3 p.m. Oct. 24 at the corner of Fourth Street and Princeton Avenue.

Tucker has been charged with attempted murder in the beating of Mordechai Moskowitz, 53, of Lakewood, in the area of Princeton Avenue and Carey Street at about 8 p.m. Oct. 9.

Police believe an aluminum baseball bat that was recovered at the scene of the crime is the weapon that was used during the assault.

In addition to attempted murder, Tucker was also charged with possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He is being held at the Ocean County jail, Toms River, on bail set at $375,000, with no 10 percent option.

Police said the location where Tucker was arrested two weeks after the crime was committed is about eight blocks away from where Moskowitz was assaulted.

Police said officers were able to arrest Tucker after receiving tips that were provided by several sources. The tips came in after a $25,000 reward was offered by the Anti-Defamation League for information in connection with the attack on Moskowitz. It was not known how the reward would be divided.

Tucker fits the description of the suspect in the Oct. 9 assault in at least two ways. A description of the assailant provided by police described Moskowitz's attacker as being a black male between 30 and 40 years old.

Tucker is a black male and he is 37 years old.

The victim in the incident was a Jewish man, although Lakewood police Lt. Joseph Isnardi said there is no evidence to suggest that the attack on Moskowitz was a bias crime.

Isnardi said if evidence pointed to that, then the attack would be labeled a bias crime, although he reiterated there is no evidence of that in this incident.

Following the attack, Moskowitz was transported and admitted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. He sustained injuries to his face and head. It was reported last week that he has been transferred to a rehabilitation facility.