DEVELOPER ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

A photo taken by a witness shows Eatontown police arresting Warren Diamond at Suneagles golf course on October 28, 2026.

Red Bank developer, Monmouth County philanthropist and convicted 1980’s racketeer Warren Diamond was arrested for allegedly assaulting his business partner last Wednesday, according to information from police and the alleged victim’s attorneys.

Diamond was charged with third-degree aggravated assault/attempt to cause significant bodily injury following an “altercation” at Suneagles Golf Club, the historic course on the former Fort Monmouth, according to the Eatontown Police Department.

Diamond and developer Salvatore Martelli, co-owners of several companies that acquired and redeveloped Suneagles, are engaged in a bitter legal battle over finances and management of the enterprise. (See link below for previous coverage).

Eatontown police did not identify the victim of the alleged assault or provide further details about the incident, citing an ongoing investigation.

But in a statement issued in response to questions from redbankgreen, Martelli’s attorney confirmed that Martelli was the victim of the alleged assault.

Diamond’s attorney, Skylar Weissman, did not return a phone message left with a receptionist Monday.

Reached via text message for comment, Diamond replied with what he called an ‘official statement’ that reads in its entirety: “THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT IN COURT.”

In an emailed statement, Martelli’s attorney, Layne Feldman, confirmed that Martelli was the victim in the alleged assault, adding: “Mr. Martelli states that, despite this unfortunate incident, he remains committed to ensuring that SunEagles remains a safe and welcoming place for all.”

In a letter to State Superior Court Judge Clarkson S. Fisher Jr. filed Monday, attorneys representing Martelli’s course-side townhome complex, The Ridge at Suneagles, allege Martelli sustained injuries and had to be taken to the hospital after Diamond struck him in the back of the head. The attorneys asked for an immediate hearing to address the arrest and other matters of dispute.

“It has become clear that this litigation has not only ‘gone off the rails,’ but has now spiraled out of control to the point that it has become frightfully dangerous,” the letter from attorneys Alexis Gasiorowski and Ronald Gasiorowski reads. Reached via email, Alexis Gasiorowski declined further comment.

The arrest comes 18 months after an incident in which, Martelli alleges in a court filing, Diamond drove at him and struck him with a golf cart at the course, causing him to sustain a concussion. Diamond denied the allegation, with his attorney writing in a court filing that a video of the alleged incident “clearly shows otherwise.”

The two well-known developers are engaged in a years-long legal battle in both state and federal court over the Suneagles venture. In dueling lawsuits, each accuses the other of financial misconduct and other wrongdoing related to the project.

The lawsuits remain ongoing.

GOLF CART ASSAULT. FORGED DOCUMENTS. STOLEN MONEY. CHARGES FLY AS BUILDERS BATTLE IN COURT

The golf course and an adjacent townhouse development Martelli’s company is building marked the first major redevelopment project on the former Fort Monmouth.

Diamond has been an active player in Red Bank real estate for several years.

His company, American Opportunity Zone Fund (AOZ Fund), acquired five properties near the Red Bank train station, including the former home of Mi Lupita’s restaurant and several homes on Oakland Street, after a lengthy legal battle with the former property owners, Mary and Roy Jennings, court records show.

When the deal collapsed over a closing deadline during the COVID-19 pandemic, Diamond’s company sued to compel the sale. The Jenningses countersued, and the litigation continued into 2022 before the parties settled and Diamond acquired the property.

In July 2024, he obtained Planning Board approval to build 20 condominiums on the parcel. He sold the tract and its development approvals for $4.3 million in 2025 to Perth Amboy developer Honey Meerzon. That project, Dua Bella Residences, is now under construction.

Diamond has also been involved in litigation with his son over ownership interests in a separate property at 147 Broad Street in Red Bank.

147 Broad Street.

And he owns the land at the corner of Drs. James Parker Boulevard and Shrewsbury Avenue on which the nonprofit Thrive Red Bank is building a groundbreaking 32-unit apartment building for adults with special needs.

He gained a reputation for philanthropy, including a $2.5 million donation to Monmouth Medical Center for the construction of the Cheryl Diamond Cancer Care Center, named in honor of his late wife, who died from cancer in 2001.

In 2024, Red Bank’s Count Basie Center for the Arts opened “The Diamond Lounge,” a members-only/VIP lounge named after Diamond and his wife, Faith Perlmutter Diamond, both major donors.

In 1986, then-named Warren Weissman, was convicted of racketeering in a federal case that also involved people prosecutors alleged were connected to New York organized crime. A longtime Rumson resident, he now lists his address as Boca Raton, Florida.

Martelli is the longtime owner of several construction companies, including Martelli Signature Homes and Monarch Excavation, which was hired by the Borough of Red Bank for the recent remake of Marine Park.

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Editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.