A Gloucester Township man is accused of killing a local resident earlier this month.
Matthew Lucas, 24, allegedly shot 53-year-old Anthony Sanflippo at the Lakeview apartment complex July 9, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
Sanflippo was shot in the head after answering a knock at his front door at approximately 5:30 p.m., according to a probable cause statement.
Lucas allegedly fled in a stolen vehicle from the crime scene on the 500 block of Lower Landing Road. He was described as wearing a black surgical mask, a tasseled head garment and green pants, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The probable cause statement suggested that Lucas was known to other residents of the complex, with one witness telling police the suspect was “always observed” wearing the black hat with tassels.
New York City police located the vehicle on West 49th Street on July 13. Lucas, wearing a black surgical mask and a head garb with tassels, was arrested nearby for an unrelated crime, the statement said.
“Lucas was found to be in possession of the key to the stolen vehicle and a .45 caliber handgun,” the statement said.
Ballistics testing linked the gun to a .45 caliber shell casing found at the homicide scene, it added.
Green pants with suspected blood stains were recovered from the stolen vehicle, according to the statement.
Lucas was charged with Sanflippo’s murder and weapons offenses. He’s being held at Rikers Island in New York, pending extradition to New Jersey.
The charges are only allegations. Lucas has not been convicted in the case.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Matthew Lucas arrested in New York over Lakeview apartment complex