A South Jersey teenager has had a criminal charge against him upgraded to manslaughter after the man he allegedly punched in a Walgreens parking lot died in the hospital, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said.
The 16-year-old boy is accused of punching 46-year-old Oron Beebe outside of the Mount Ephraim pharmacy on March 23, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement. Beebe was rushed to Cooper University Hospital on the night of the incident and was listed in critical condition, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the hospital on Sunday at 1:03 a.m., prosecutors said.
Mount Ephraim Police responded to a report of an unconscious man at the drug store on West Kings Highway around 10:40 p.m. Officers found Beebe, a Mount Ephraim resident, on the ground suffering from a head injury, officials said.
Two days later, the teenager, a Collingswood resident, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in Cherry Hill. He was charged with aggravated assault, authorities said.
On Monday, the aggravated assault charge was upgraded to manslaughter, prosecutors said. Both charges are considered second-degree crimes.
Authorities did not say what the relationship was between the teen and the victim and declined to provide charging documents due to the defendant’s status as a juvenile. He is being held at Camden County Youth Detention Center pending court proceedings.
Stories by Nicolas Fernandes
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.