Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Jersey City Trio Used Minors in Middletown Robbery, Police Charge
Unidentified woman injured during Jan. 4 incident, police said
Two Jersey City men are being held on more than $400,000 bail after Middletown police said they and another woman used minors to help commit a robbery that injured an unidentified female.
Police said that Lamar T. Jeffery, 22, Devine Bobbitt, 19, and Shadya Staten, 18, all of Jersey City, knowingly used a 16-year-old during a Jan. 4 robbery at a Campbell Avenue residence, according to Middletown police.
Authorities said the 32-year-old victim had just returned from grocery shopping and was unloading her vehicle when three males approached her and began pulling at her pocketbook.
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The men allegedly assaulted the victim by throwing her to the ground and ripping a purse from around her neck, causing injury, according to authorities. Police said $600 worth of property—a Chanel wallet and $60 in cash—was stolen.
The men fled in a black Nissan Maxima which was occupied by two females, police said. The victim took note of the car's license plate and gave it to police, and the victim's boyfriend—who was at the residence at the time of the incident—followed the vehicle to Keansburg.
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After the suspect's vehicle crashed, all five fled, and police from Middletown, Keansburg and Hazlet searched until they were located, authorities said.
Staten, Bobbitt, and Jeffery were charged with robbery, conspiracy, aggravated assault, employing a juvenile to commit a crime and theft, police said. Bobbitt also faces a charge of providing false information to police.Jeffery and Bobbitt remain in custody at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on a total of $415,000 bail, according to inmate records. Staten was released on her own recognizance.
The 16-year-old male and female were both charged with robbery, conspiracy and theft; the former was held at the Middlesex County Youth Detention Facility while the latter was released to her parents, police said.
The incident was investigated by Patrolman Greg Buhowski, Detective Laurence Schachtel and Detective William Strohkirch from Middletown, along with the assistance of Keansburg and Hazlet authorities, police said.
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