By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Atlantic County announced that officials, on Friday, January 16, 2026, Tyler Smith, 40, from Atlantic City, was sentenced by the Honorable Joseph Levin, J.S.C., to 15 years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning he will have to serve 85% of his sentence before parole eligibility.
According to Atlantic County officials, on July 3, 2023, Atlantic City Police Department officers responded to the 1600 block of Adriatic Avenue in reference to a male stabbed in the neck.
Police transported the victim to the hospital, ACPO officials say.
The victim advised that he arrived in the area of Stanley Holmes Village with a friend when he was approached by an unknown man, ultimately identified as Smith, ACPO officials said.
Atlantic County officials say that Smith stated, “Why you keep bringing these white people around here?” before stabbing the victim in the neck.
Police were able to identify Smith as the suspect from surveillance footage, which captured the incident, in addition to a wallet containing Smith’s driver’s license left at the scene, Atlantic County officials said.
Smith was arrested and charged accordingly shortly thereafter. The victim survived the attack, according to Atlantic County officials.
ACPO officials say that on Friday, September 12, 2025, Smith pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder and first-degree bias intimidation.