Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on January 27, 2025, Nicholas Santiago, 39, of Barnegat, pled guilty to Robbery and Shoplifting before the Honorable Kimmarie Rahill, J.S.C., in connection with an incident that occurred in Stafford Township on May 27, 2024, along with multiple shoplifting incidents that likewise occurred in Stafford Township during May and June 2024. At the time of his sentencing on March 28, 2025, the State will be seeking a term of five years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP), subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act as to the Robbery charge, and four years NJSP as to the Shoplifting charge. The sentences are to run concurrently.
On May 27, 2024, at approximately 12:00 a.m., Officers from the Stafford Township Police Department responded to a convenience store on Route 72 for a report of a robbery. An investigation by responding Officers revealed that a male suspect entered the store, brandished a knife at the cashier, and demanded money, cigarettes and other items. The store staff turned over cash, cigarettes, and other items to the suspect who then fled the scene. A subsequent investigation by the Stafford Township Police Department and New Jersey State Police led to Santiago being identified as the individual responsible for the robbery of the convenience store in Stafford on May 27th. Santiago was likewise identified as the individual responsible for a series of shoplifting incidents that occurred at the Shoprite in Stafford throughout May and June 2024. Santiago was further identified as a suspect in a robbery that occurred at another convenience store located in New Gretna, Burlington County, on May 31, 2024.
On June 18, 2024, Santiago was taken into custody without incident at his residence in Barnegat by Officers from the Stafford Township Police Department and New Jersey State Police. On that date, he was charged with the robbery that occurred in New Gretna on May 31, 2024, and transported to the Burlington County Jail; that charge remains pending in Burlington County Superior Court. On June 19, 2024, Santiago was charged with the robbery that occurred in Stafford Township on May 27, 2024, as well as the shoplifting offenses which occurred in Stafford during May and June 2024. On June 22, 2024, he was transported to the Ocean County Jail where he has been detained since that date.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Lynn Juan who is handling the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Stafford Township Police Department and New Jersey State Police for their combined and cooperative assistance in connection with this investigation, leading to Santiago’s apprehension, guilty plea, and soon his state prison sentence.