Chrystofer Whyte, 18, was fatally shot on the beach in Long Branch, New Jersey, on the evening of June 12, 2025, just before 9 p.m. Emergency responders found him near the shoreline by Pier Village with a single gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Whyte had posted a video hours earlier of himself relaxing on the same sand. His death came two days before his 19th birthday.

Whyte was a student-athlete from Woodbridge High School who played football and wrestled, and had built a large online following on TikTok. Witnesses reported a physical altercation on the beach shortly before the shooting. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Long Branch Police investigated and arrested two people: a juvenile charged with murder, conspiracy and weapons offenses, and 18-year-old Dwayne Exilus of Woodbridge, charged with conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon and hindering apprehension. No motive has been released publicly.

If anyone saw the disturbance on the beach that night or has video from near Pier Village, please share information with investigators.