A 19 year old Freehold man has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges stemming from a November 2025 stabbing in Jackson Township that left a woman injured.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Jaden Thompson, 19, of Freehold, pleaded guilty on August 31, 2026, before Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to Attempted Murder, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Eluding.

The charges stem from incidents that occurred in Jackson Township on November 27, 2025, and in Edison Township the following day.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Jackson Township Police responded on November 27 to the Paragon Apartments on Larsen Road for a report of a stabbing. Officers arrived to find a woman suffering from a stab wound to her abdomen. A 19 month old infant was also found in the area where the stabbing occurred, but the child was not injured.

The woman was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was treated and later released.

An investigation determined that Thompson was responsible for the stabbing. Authorities said he fled the area in a black Hyundai Sonata, and he was subsequently charged and entered into the National Crime Information Center database.

The following day, November 28, Edison Township Police located the vehicle being used by Thompson. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Thompson allegedly fled at a high rate of speed before crashing.

Thompson then attempted to flee the crash scene on foot but was apprehended nearby.

He was transported to the Ocean County Jail on November 29, 2025, where he has remained detained.

At sentencing, scheduled for October 23, 2026, the State will seek a 10 year New Jersey State Prison sentence on the Attempted Murder charge, subject to the No Early Release Act. Prosecutors will also seek five years for Endangering the Welfare of a Child and five years for Eluding. The sentences are expected to run concurrently.