BRICK – An Atlantic City man is facing jail time for committing multiple car burglaries throughout Ocean County, authorities said.
Andrew Williams, 45, Atlantic City, pled guilty to Eluding and Burglary in connection with an incident that occurred in Brick Township on December 16, 2021.
Additionally, Williams pled guilty to a second count of Burglary in connection with an incident that occurred on October 25, 2021, as well as two counts of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card in connection with incidents that occurred on December 10, 2021 and December 14, 2021, both in Stafford Township.
At the time of his sentencing on June 13, the State will be seeking a term of ten years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) as to the Eluding charge, eight years NJSP – subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act – as to the Burglary that occurred on December 16, 2021, five years NJSP as to each Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card charge, and five years NJSP as to the second Burglary charge. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Around 2 p.m. on December 16, 2021, an off-duty Brick Township Police Officer was leaving the LA Fitness gym in Brick Plaza after working out when he heard a car alarm sounding in the parking lot. Two individuals were seen entering a van and leaving the area.
Officers attempted a motor vehicle stop on the van, but it failed to stop and continued driving recklessly east on Route 70. A short time later, the van crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Burnt Tavern Road and Maple Avenue.
The driver of the van, later identified as Williams, exited the car and tried to forcibly remove the driver of a nearby vehicle. After he was unsuccessful, Williams entered one of the responding police cruisers, authorities said. He was quickly removed from the police vehicle and placed under arrest.
Officers later determined that Williams had committed two vehicle burglaries in the LA Fitness parking lot on December 16, 2021. He was subsequently transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since that date.
In an earlier unrelated incident, police were contacted on October 25, 2021, by an individual claiming that his car had been broken into – his wallet stolen – in the LA Fitness parking lot on Chambers Bridge Road.
Police discovered that Williams was responsible for the October 25 vehicle burglary, and he was charged accordingly on November 19, 2021. Williams was served with that charge at the Ocean County Jail – where he had been lodged since the previous date – on December 17, 2021.
Another incident occurred on December 14, 2021 in Stafford, when employees of the Best Buy Store on Stafford Park Boulevard reported a man using a fraudulent credit card. Employees recognized the man from a previous fraudulent transaction that occurred a couple days prior. The employees contacted police, but the suspect had already left the store, authorities said.
The suspect was identified as Williams and he was charged accordingly on December 19, 2021, and served with the charges at the Ocean County Jail – where he had been lodged since December 16.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke who is handling the case on behalf of the State, and commended the Brick Township Police Department and Stafford Township Police Department for their combined and collective assistance in connection with these investigations leading to William’s guilty pleas – and soon his state prison sentence,
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