MANCHESTER — One man was charged with throwing objects at over 41 vehicles traveling in the opposite direction on several Ocean County highways.

Anthony Lewis, 35, of Chesterfield, was charged by Manchester, Plumsted, Jackson, Lacey and Barnegat police in the incidents that happened between December and March, according to Manchester police Lt. Vincent Manco.

The investigation got a break when a driver whose windshield was hit on March 7 on Route 539 followed Lewis and got a license plate and description of his car. Lewis' black 2006 Nissan Altima was eventually stopped by Manchester police and he was arrested on a traffic warrant out of Jackson but released on his own recognizance.

Investigators said they were able to link Lewis to 31 incidents involving 41 vehicles. They arrested him at home on Tuesday and charged him with 31 counts of criminal mischief, 31 counts of interference with transportation and 31 counts of reckless endangerment of another person.

Broken windshied after an object was thrown at it on Route 539
Broken windshied after an object was thrown at it on Route 539 (Plumsted Police)
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Police did not disclose what Lewis threw at the most of the vehicles except for Feb. 14, when a metal nut struck and became embedded in the driver side-view mirror of one of 15 vehicles struck along Route 539 in Plumsted that day.

Anjelica S. Furno said she was on her way home on Feb. 14 when her windshield got hit twice. She said the incident caused her to swerve and get glass in her lap. The only other vehicle in either direction was a dark car heading in the opposite direction, she said.

"I believe that someone in the back seat of the driver's car had something like a BB gun and started shooting at the cars," Furno said, noting that all the vehicles appeared to be struck near the inspection sticker, including a truck with a windshield that is higher that the cars.

Investigators asked anyone with information about the throwing incidents to call Manchester police at 732-657-2009 ext. 4203 or Plumsted police at 609-758-7077 ext. 203.

A crack left in the windshield by an obect thrown at a car on Route 539 in Plumsted
A crack left in the windshield by an object thrown at a car on Route 539 in Plumsted (Anjelica S. Furno)
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