A Donation Toward Solving the Murder of Red Bank Teacher Jonelle Melton

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) wants to see the unsolved murder of Red Bank Middle School teacher Jonelle Melton solved.

So, in an attempt to advance the initiative to close the four-year-old open case of the 33-year-old educator who was found murdered in her apartment on West Sylvania Avenue in Neptune City, NJEA donated $5,000 last week to Monmouth County Crime Stoppers.

After Melton did not arrive at work or respond to calls, a family member who went to check on her found her dead at home. She was a seventh grade teacher who was set to begin teaching fifth grade at the time of her murder.  

Donations such as these increase the pool of cash reward money available for tipsters who provide legitimate information cases like Melton's from the usual Crime Stoppers amount of roughly $5,000 to as much as $10,000, or double.

“NJEA is a family and we were deeply hurt by the senseless death of Jonelle Melton," said Wendell Steinhauer, president of the NJEA in a released statement. "Today we are proud to work with Monmouth County Crime Stoppers to help bring her killer or killers to justice. We urge anyone with information to come forward to help make the community safer for everyone."

Crime Stoppers is prepared to pay for the price for valid, crucial information that will lead to the arrest of of whoever is responsible for the murder, said its chairman Kevin Burke. This donation, he added, ups the ante.  

“At the end of the day, we know somebody knows what happened to Jonelle Melton," Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Grammicioni said in a release. "Somebody holds a key piece of information about Jonelle’s murder.

"We want that information so Jonelle and her family can rest in peace knowing whoever is responsible is brought to justice. With Crime Stoppers dangling the carrot of a reward for divulging that information, and offering anonymity, it should be a lot easier for someone to provide that crucial piece of information.”

Citizens with information about a crime can contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-671-4400, which is a confidential telephone tip line; they can text "MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637; or, they can email a tip via the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com