Lakewood Police Officer Christopher Matlosz, 27, was shot and killed in the line of duty, at approximately 4:30PM on Friday afternoon.

Officer Matlosz was patrolling the township and drove onto August Drive in a neighborhood off Joe Parker Road when he noticed a man walking that he recognized.

Matlosz conducted a routine stop and “there was an exchange that was not hostile,” said Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford.

According to reports, a witness told police that Matlosz stopped Crockam in front of 1514 August Drive. Matlosz and the man authorities believe was Crockam were talking before the man stepped back and fired three shots directly at the officer.

A massive manhunt is under way the a 19-year-old man authorities believe is responsible for what was termed “the execution-style killing” of Police Officer Christopher Matlosz Friday afternoon.

The suspect, identified later by authorities as Jahmell W. Crockam, is described as a black male, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighing about 220 pounds. He was last seen fleeing the scene wearing a black hooded sweat shirt, dark sagging jeans and his gray boxer shorts were exposed, they said.

A frantic phone call to 911 came in at 4:07 p.m. to report the officer was shot. Less than an hour later Matlosz was pronounced dead at 4:54 p.m. after being taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

The shooting immediately sparked a massive manhunt from the air and on the ground for the man. State Police helicopters hovered around the area looking for their suspect, as heavily armed federal, state, county and local law enforcement officers combed the surrounding streets in search of the suspect.

Matlosz, who was engaged to be married, is survived by his fiancee, mother and brother.

Matlosz had just last week started working the night shift in Lakewood, after patrolling the streets of the township on the midnight shift since he was hired on Aug. 14, 2006.

Prior to his coming to the township police department, Matlosz, who grew up in the Lakewood area, was a patrolman in Englishtown for about two years, and served as a Special Second Class Police Officer in Freehold Township, Long Branch and Manasquan, according to township Police Chief Robert Lawson.

Matlosz was a 2001 graduate of Howell High School, and he received an associate’s degree from Brookdale in 2004, Lawson added.

“Chris was one of our most dedicated officers, and he was dedicated to his job,” Lawson added.

Anyone with informationregarding the shooting death of Officer Matlosz is asked to call township Detective Lt. Paul Daly who is leading the investigation at 732-363-0200 ext. 5332, or Detective Casey Long, of the prosecutor’s office at 732-814-6983.

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(Source: Asbury Park Press)