NJ man admits robbing convenience store, shoplifting in Ocean County

⚫ NJ man admits robbing store
⚫ Also admits string of shoplifting
⚫ Faces prison

A Barnegat man has admitted to robbing a convenience store at knifepoint and a string of shoplifting incidents at a grocery store in Ocean County.

Nicholas Santiago, 39, pleaded guilty on Monday to counts of robbery and shoplifting in connection with multiple incidents in May and June last year in Stafford.

On May 27, 2024, around midnight, Stafford police responded to a convenience store on Route 72, where a cashier said a man holding a knife demanded money, cigarettes and other items.

Police ultimately traced the crime to Santiago, who was also identified as the person responsible for a series of shoplifting incidents at the Shoprite in town, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

At sentencing in March, the state would seek a five-year prison term for the robbery charge, to run at the same time as a requested four-year term for shoplifting, Billhimer said.

Santiago was additionally identified as a suspect at a convenience store robbery in New Gretna, four days after the one in Stafford.

A charge in that incident was pending in Burlington County Superior Court.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom