Police: Man Claimed to Have Gun During Attempted Home Goods Shoplifting

Police are looking for a man who allegedly tried to steal $400 worth of sheets from Home Goods while claiming to have a gun.

The man allegedly tried to leave the Bay Avenue store Sunday evening with six packages of Ralph Lauren bed sheets valued at more than $400. When confronted by the store’s loss prevention officer, the man allegedly tried to punch the employee and at one point claimed to have a gun, said Toms River Chief of Police Michael Mastronardy.

The suspect is a black male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing 245 pounds wearing a black dress jacket, white T-shirt and blue jeans, Mastronardy said. He left the merchandize in a cart and ran out of the store.

Police believe that the man left the area in a Saturn Vue with a temporary license plate tag, according to the chief.

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A 19-year-old township man was arrested and charged with shoplifting video game controllers from the Toms River Sears Monday afternoon.

Officer Mark DeGrandis charged Nicholas Mayer, 19, of Woodview Road after investigating a shoplifting complaint at Sears, Mastronardy said.

Sears loss prevention officers told police they saw Mayer cutting tags off Xbox game controllers then trying to leave the store, according to the chief.

Additional charges against Mayer are pending further investigation, as police found two syringes in Mayer’s possession and stolen checks from a family business, Mastronardy said.