Police Seeking ShopRite Stabbing Victim Wanted on Drug Charges
Noah Jackson, a cart pusher at Bayville ShopRite, charged with possession, distribution of cocaine, police say
Berkeley Township detectives are asking for the public's help in locating Noah Jackson, the ShopRite employee who was stabbed three times in the Bayvile store in front of customers and employees last month.
Police went to Jackson's Tuckerton home today to arrest him on charges of possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, but were unable to locate him, Detective Joseph Robertazzi said.
Jackson was severely stabbed inside the store on the morning of March 23. Christopher Page, 34, has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the incident and was arrested in downtown Toms River.
Jackson was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center after the attack. Ocean County Sheriff's Department criminal investigations unit Detective Daniel Molyneaux was in the emergency room when medical personnel cut Jackson's clothing off to treat him, Robertazzi said.
"He was at Jersey Shore when they cut off his clothing," he said. "He was the one who discovered the drugs in his pockets."
Authorities found 17 plastic bags of cocaine in Jackson's pockets, valued at between $600 to $800 apiece, Robertazzi said.
"They were definitely packets for resale," he said. "Based on our investigation and information from other agencies, we feel he was definitely involved in a drug distribution group."
Jackson, 37, had been a cart pusher at the Bayville ShopRite for years. He often parked his late-model Mercedes sideways at the front of the parking lot near Route 9, Robertazzi said.
Police did not have enough forensic evidence to search Jackson's Mercedes. A drug-sniffing K-9 dog found nothing, he said.
Page, 34, was charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, Berkeley Township Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele has said.
An altercation between the two men began in the store vestibule and continued into the front of the store near the checkout registers 1 and 3, where Jackson was stabbed severely, DiMichele has said.
Ironically, the stabbing doesn't appear to be related to drugs, but to a woman, Robertazzi said.
"We have no reason to believe the stabbing was drug-related," he said.
Page's girlfriend apparently had words with Jackson in the store that morning. Page actually left his name and number at the store to complain. He later returned to the store, Robertazzi said.
"It was related to a problem with the suspect's girlfriend and Noah Jackson," said Robertazzi, who said he did not know the specifics of Page's girlfriend's connection to Jackson. "It just went from bad to worse. It pretty much is all over a woman."
Berkeley police are asking anyone with information about Jackson's whereabouts to contact the Berkeley police department at 732-341-6600.
"He'll be arrested and processed," Robertazzi said.
barbara
8:44 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
I'm a little confused. They found 17 bags of coke, valued at $600-$800 each. Why was he allowed to leave the hospital and not placed under arrest while in the hospital? Something wrong with this picture.......
Gretchen Meyer-Kennedy
9:07 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
Lol one would think that would have been the time to arrest him but no let's let him leave and we will go look for him 3 weeks later.lol
Jenn
9:09 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
Barbara,....I was just going to write the same thing.....Why would they let him go????
I think having that much coke in your pocket is good enough evidence for possession. What else do you need????Something is defo fishy here....
Da Brickz
10:15 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
That amount of coke is probably good enough for a trafficking charge, I don't think any explanation the police can give would make any sense, Might make sense in Fantasyland though.
Da Brickz
9:52 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
What a surprise! Where are all the folks who defended Noah after people told you he was involved in narcotics...Noah's been dealing drugs out of Shop Rite for awhile.
Da Brickz
10:02 pm on Friday, April 20, 2012
I also have to say kudos to the police you arrest some random dude with a 20 dollar bag of weed but let this guy walk with 13 grand worth of coke, Well done!
Downtown John
12:56 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
...only in Ocean County. This place is pathetic. I'm going back up north.
Securevelope
8:13 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
37 year old cart pusher driving a Mercedes, lives in Berkeley. I'm going to get me a job pushing carts so I can drive a Mercedes too!
Gino De Lucia
8:49 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
WTF?
Gus Faella
8:52 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
If they arrested him at the hospitol they would have had to place a guard on him 24/7. More tax dollars would be spent for baby sitting, then you would really complain.
GJF
Securevelope
8:58 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
How so? A uniformed officer would be paid his regular pay and work in shifts. I don't see any extra money needed to watch a criminal.
Rachel Tomasi
10:36 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
All I can say is the guy can yell planted on him being they waited but I'm sure multi agencies witnessed like hospital employees as well as the detective n documented. But why not get the person in the act not leave room for all these questions. He knew they saw I'm sure conscious or not so there's no reason I can think of why they couldn't have kept investigating after immediate arrest. Having said that, I have to believe the police had their reasons. Maybe they were trying to get him to talk about the bigger picture and shut down a ring of dealers and if arrested the others would not talk to him n b suspicious but in the end they couldn't get him to roll as they say on tv lol we gotta give the cops some credit here.
Rachel Tomasi
10:40 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
Also if ShopRite hasn't fired him that's gonna b as popular a place to shop now as those drs they listed yesterday that can order medical marijuana in TR.
Greg
10:51 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
so he's not only a Cart pusher
1stcav
11:27 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
Yeah he is, if you have enough money he'll sell you a cart of drugs..hence "Cart pusher" driving a tricked out car...hence" drug dealer" and he's been doing this for YEARS...LE, WTH ???? Can I have two lbs of ground round and three bags of coke, no not cans ...bags ..Where's Noah , he knows what I need !!!! Attention Noah report to the front of store to assist a Shop Rite customer, Thank You...Puts a new spin on SR specials of the week !
Laci
11:44 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
"He often parked his late-model Mercedes sideways at the front of the parking lot near Route 9, Robertazzi said".
That was a open for business signal for his customers. They weren't approaching him in the parking lot exchanging money for him to make change to get a quarter for a shopping cart.
g
11:58 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
He is probably already in Mexico.
RoeRoe
5:38 am on Sunday, April 22, 2012
He's pushin more than carts lol.... I always find some of these articles amazing... here is a guy pushing carts at your local food store.... you might have even have said "Thank You" to him , a nice "what's up"? lol He is driving a mercedes...working at Shop Rite.... they find 17 bags of cocaine on this guy... he gets treated at one of the best trauma hospitals in the NJ, and walks out and no one can find him? ...... and here I am, worked all my life here, now retired and disabled with MS....trying to get a cracked tooth fixed for montly payments and they tell ME I make $96 too much a month!! lol I am thinking I am doing all wrong....I don't have a gimic lol the only thing I ever carry is my purse... and this guy gets away :)
.
7:52 am on Sunday, April 22, 2012
You are so right...only the best care for those that don't deserve it.
No one could convince me from the start that this stabbing wasn't drug related. Everyone stuck up for this guy saying how great he was.....now we know why! Lowlife didn't need the money from the ShopRite job, just the contacts probably. Someone else could have really used that job.