Crime & Safety

Men Struggled with Gunmen in Second Home Invasion

Pregnant woman among three occupants of robbed apartment on Vaughn

A armed home invasion sent a 7-month’s pregnant woman to the hospital as a precaution, while another occupant of the Vaughn Avenue apartment was hospitalized with a laceration to his forehead, police said.

Just after 1:30 a.m. this morning, two men entered the Terrace View Apartment complex, heading into an apartment that had three 22 year-olds inside: a male guest, the male resident and a pregnant female, said Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy.

Police believe the suspects, armed with a silver revolver and black gun, entered the apartment through the unlocked front door, and proceeded to confront the male resident of the apartment inside the living room. The male guest emerged from the bathroom and confronted the suspects, and a struggle ensued.

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The male guest, Jonathan Hernandez of Toms River, struggled with the suspects and while on the floor was robbed of $200. Mastronardy said the suspects took the cash out of Hernandez’ pockets, and that the male resident, Thomas Myers, struggled with the suspects and was struck in the forehead with a gun, leaving a three-inch forehead laceration.

Mastronardy said Hernandez “came out of the bathroom after hearing the commotion and confronted the suspects and after a brief struggle was forced to the floor,” Mastronardy said.  “The suspects are reported to repeatedly ask ‘Where is the money, where are the drugs.’”

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The two suspects are black males both in their 20s and about 5’ 8”, said the police chief. The suspects were both wearing dark clothes, and one man had a green bandana and was armed with a silver revolver, while the other wore a red bandana and was armed with a black gun.

After striking Myers, the suspects fled with the cash on foot, heading through the apartment complex toward Vaughn Avenue, said the police chief.  They were last observed entering an unknown vehicle parked at the base of the apartment complex, and then drove down Partridge Street.

Myers was transported by EMS to Community Medical Center for treatment for the laceration.  The female occupant was also transported to Community Medical Center as a precaution, Mastronardy said.

This is the second armed home invasion in Toms River in 24 hours, but Mastronardy said that the two cases are not related. “At this time it is not believed that this home invasion robbery has any connection to the one that occurred Wednesday morning in Holiday City,” he said.

The multi-building apartment complex of Terrace View Apartments sits near the intersection with Adams Avenue on Vaughn Avenue on a busy road in a residential neighborhood.

Investigating are Officers Adam Koeppen, Steve Eubanks, Sergeant Thomas Laffan, the Toms River Police Narcotics Unit and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.  Anyone with information can contact Detective John Bajcic at 349-0150 ext 1278.


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