Long Branch man gets life after armed home invasion and crash with police kills passenger

🚨 Long Branch man gets life for armed home invasion, deadly crash
🚔 Passenger killed after getaway BMW crashes into police car
‍⚖️ Judge imposes maximum sentence on convicted killer

A Long Branch man will spend the rest of his life in prison for an armed home invasion and deadly crash that killed his passenger as he rammed a police car.

Altonia D. Williams was sentenced last week by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley to life, "plus 30 years."

After a four-week trial, the 47-year-old Williams was convicted earlier this year on 18 counts including first-degree armed robbery, felony murder, aggravated manslaughter while eluding, and vehicular homicide.

Armed home invasion prompts 911 calls for police help

Around 4 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2023, Long Branch police responded to Narragansett Avenue for a report of an armed home invasion.

The victims said a man holding a handgun demanded money before leaving.

Williams was spotted in a white BMW still in Long Branch, in the area of MacArthur and Elmwood Avenues.

Passenger killed after Williams crashes car and runs away

Williams sped away from the first police car to arrive, but crashed into a second patrol car as it showed up.

He then ran from the severely damaged car, leaving his front-seat passenger, 38-year-old Tracee Blount, also of Long Branch.

Officers pulled Blount from the smoking and burning BMW, but she was pronounced dead within a few hours.

In October 2023, the state Attorney General's Office released clips from body camera footage of the police-involved crash site and the 911 calls from the home invasion.

Prosecutor slams convict's 'utter disregard for life'

Williams was found hiding with a loaded gun in a nearby bush.

Investigators later found that he was high on marijuana at the time of the crash.

Williams was indicted by a Monmouth County grand jury in December 2023.

“The sentence imposed by the court was justified given this defendant’s utter disregard for the value of human life,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.

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