Manasquan man charged with robbery of Toms River bank
A Manasquan man was indicted this week for allegedly robbing a Toms River bank in July of this year. An Ocean County grand jury indicted the defendant for second degree unarmed robbery and third degree theft for the July 21 robbery of the Kearny Federal Savings Bank in Toms River. According to the indictment, the defendant put the bank teller in immediate fear of bodily injury to steal an amount in excess of $500. Police said the robber entered the bank around noon and indicated to the clerk that he had a weapon, although no weapon was shown. The robber fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money from the robbery. Toms River police, with the assistance of Seaside Heights P.D., arrested the defendant in Seaside Heights later the same day. The defendant has been incarcerated at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River since then, unable to post the $50,000 bail amount set by the Ocean County Superior Court. The defendant is facing up to 15 years in prison based on these two charges.
For additional information, see the Asbury Park press article. A robbery charge in New Jersey is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1 which provides in pertinent part:
a. Robbery defined. A person is guilty of robbery if, in the course of committing a theft, he:
(1) Inflicts bodily injury or uses force upon another; or
(2) Threatens another with or purposely puts him in fear of immediate bodily injury; or
(3) Commits or threatens immediately to commit any crime of the first or second degree.
An act shall be deemed to be included in the phrase "in the course of committing a theft" if it occurs in an attempt to commit theft or in immediate flight after the attempt or commission.
b. Grading. Robbery is a crime of the second degree, except that it is a crime of the first degree if in the course of committing the theft the actor attempts to kill anyone, or purposely inflicts or attempts to inflict serious bodily injury, or is armed with, or uses or threatens the immediate use of a deadly weapon.
