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Charges Upgraded to Attempted Murder in Belle Mead Stabbing– Suspect Arrested after Police Chase Ended at a Route 1 Hotel in South Brunswick

  • Writer: The Montgomery News
    The Montgomery News
  • Jun 17
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jun 20

Breaking News


By Barbara A. Preston | June 17, 2025 (updated June 20, 2025)


The suspect arrested for allegedly stabbing a 69-year-old Montgomery man outside a Willow Run home on June 16 at 1:30 pm is now charged with Attempted Murder, police said. The victim was transported to an area hospital for stab wounds to the shoulder and abdomen, underwent emergency surgery, and luckily is expected to survive.


Police said Brian Pyke, 65, of Calabash, North Carolina allegedly committed a random act of violence by attacking a man who was just standing on the sidewalk. The suspect does have family in the Belle Mead neighborhood where the crime occurred. According to an affidavit filed by police, Pyke was "unwell" and under the impression that his victim had harmed his family.


Montgomery Township police officers apprehended Pyke after a motor vehicle pursuit through Montgomery, down Blue Spring Road, onto River Road, through Princeton, and eventually to a Route 1 hotel in South Brunswick.

Photo created with AI by Gerd Altmann.


Willow Run Road witnesses were able to provide Somerset County dispatchers with a description of a male in a red sports utility vehicle fleeing the area after the stabbing and relayed the information to Montgomery Township Police officers.


As the officers were responding to the scene, they located the vehicle on Millstone River Road (Route 533). Officers initiated a motor vehicle stop on the vehicle, however the suspect refused to stop, resulting in a pursuit. 


The suspect, later identified as Brian Pyke, was apprehended in Holiday Inn hotel on Route 1 and placed under arrest.  During the pursuit, Pyke struck a Montgomery Township Police vehicle. The officers involved were not injured. 

Brian Pyke, 65, of Calabash, North Carolina.


The motive is not known, Montgomery Police Lt. Jason Larsen said. Montgomery EMS transported the victim to the hospital. The name of the victim is being withheld by police.

Police arrested the suspect, Brian Pyke, in the lobby of the Holiday Inn on Route 1 in South Brunswick.

(Photo from www.rlsmedia.com, which was the first news organization to capture footage of the arrest.)


Pyke was transported to an area hospital for minor injuries sustained from this incident and was then subsequently transported to Montgomery Township Police headquarters for processing.  Detectives from the Montgomery Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to investigate.  


Pyke was charged with 2nd degree Aggravated Assault, 2nd degree Eluding, and 3rd degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.  Defendant Pyke was transported to the Somerset County Jail where he was lodged pending a hearing on this matter.  


The investigation is still ongoing by the Montgomery Township Police Detective Bureau and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, however there are no safety concerns to the community.  A motive for this assault remains under investigation.


This article will be updated as The Montgomery News learns more about this incident.



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