TOMS RIVER — An Atlantic City man, Andrew Williams, 45, has been sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) for eluding and eight years for burglary, both in connection to an incident that occurred in Brick Township on Dec. 16, 2021, according to a release by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer on June 13.
Additionally, according to the release, Williams was sentenced to five years in NJSP to a second count of burglary in connection to an incident in Stafford Township on Oct. 25, 2021, as well as five years in NJSP for fraudulent use of a credit card in connection to two events in Stafford Township on Dec. 10 and Dec. 14 of 2021.
All of the charges will run concurrently.
Williams pled guilty to all charges on April 14. His burglary charges are subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning that he will have to serve at least 85% of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.
The sentencing and previous guilty plea were both before Judge David M. Fritch.
On Dec. 16, 2021, the Brick Township Police Department was alerted by an off-duty Brick Township Police Officer that he observed two individuals in the area of an active car alarm in the parking lot of LA Fitness on Chambers Bridge Road.
Responding Officers observed two individuals enter a van and leave the area. Officers attempted to effectuate a motor vehicle stop on the van. The vehicle failed to stop and continued driving recklessly east bound on Route 70, according to the release.
A short time later, the vehicle crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Burnt Tavern Road and Maple Avenue. Subsequent to the crash, the driver of the van – later identified as Williams – exited the vehicle and attempted to forcibly remove the driver of a nearby vehicle – opening the door and trying to pull the driver from her vehicle.
After that attempt was unsuccessful, Williams entered one of the responding police cruisers. Williams was quickly removed from the police vehicle and placed under arrest. Further investigation by responding Officers determined that Williams had committed two vehicle burglaries in the LA Fitness parking lot on Dec. 16, 2021.
Williams was subsequently transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since that date.
In an earlier unrelated incident, the Brick Township Police Department was contacted on Oct. 25, 2021 by an individual claiming that his vehicle, while parked in the LA Fitness parking lot on Chambers Bridge Road, had been broken into and that his wallet had been stolen from within the vehicle.
A subsequent investigation by the Brick Township Police Department revealed that Williams was responsible for the Oct. 25, 2021 vehicle burglary, and he was charged accordingly on Nov. 19, 2021. Williams was served with that charge at the Ocean County Jail – where he had been lodged since his Dec. 16, 2021 arrest.
In another unrelated incident, the Stafford Township Police Department was contacted on Dec. 14, 2021 by employees of the Best Buy Store on Stafford Park Boulevard for a report of a male having fraudulently used a credit card.
According to the release, employees recognized the individual from a previous fraudulent transaction that occurred on Dec. 10, 2021. The employees contacted police, but the suspect had already left the store. Further investigation revealed that Williams was the individual responsible for fraudulent use of credit cards in both instances; he was charged accordingly on Dec. 19, 2021, and was served with the charges at the Ocean County Jail.
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