An Ocean County man will spend decades behind bars for fatally strangling his wife and leaving her body on the side of the road.

Jeremy Cruz, 53, of Forked River, was sentenced on Tuesday to 50 yeas in prison, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.

Cruz was found guilty in April of first-degree murder.

At around 1 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2022, a motorist spotted a woman lying in the area of Colonial Ave. and Asbury Ave. in Ocean Township.

Police located the victim, 51-year-old Dawn Cruz. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dawn Cruz, 51, was spotted at the intersection of Asbury and Colonial avenues in Ocean Township (Google Street View)
Dawn Cruz, 51, was spotted at the intersection of Asbury and Colonial avenues in Ocean Township (Google Street View)
loading...

At around the same time, police said, the victim's husband turned himself in at Berkeley Township Police Department.

The murder occurred after an argument between the couple, police said.

According to Asbury Park Press coverage of the trial, Jeremy Cruz told police he and his wife had been at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park to watch their oldest son perform with his band. Dawn Cruz reportedly threatened to file for divorce and take his pension. She also admitted to having an affair, officials said.

Jeremy Cruz needs to serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

Don't get fooled: Here's 24 scam texts I received in just one month

Although some may be humorous, others appear legit. Here are 24 texts I received in just one month's time, as well as one I'm surprised I never got.

Spam texts are listed in the same order that was received.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

NJ schools that made the most calls to police

These are the 30 schools in New Jersey that made the most notifications to police during the 2022-23 school year for reasons including violence, weapons, vandalism, substances and harassment or bullying. The number of arrests made by police at the schools is also provided when applicable. The schools are listed by number of police calls from least to greatest. The data comes from the state Department of Education's annual School Performance Report.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

More From 94.5 PST