Beachwood Man Pleads Guilty To Robberies In Berkeley, Toms River

BERKELEY, NJ — A Beachwood man has pleaded guilty to a string of robberies at convenience stores and a grocery store in several Ocean County towns in December 2020, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Thomas M. Jann, 34, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree robbery, four counts of second-degree robbery, and one count of burglary before Ocean County Superior Court Judge Michael T. Collins, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

An investigation by Berkeley Township, Toms River and Beachwood police identified Jann as the suspect in six robberies that happened from Dec. 19, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2020, Billhimer said.

Jann admitted to the following:

• A Dec. 19 robbery at Wawa on Route 9 in Toms River, where he attacked a gas station attendant and stole money from the cash register;
• A Christmas Eve robbery at Robin's Convenience Store in Beachwood where he brandished what appeared to be a box cutter in the direction of the attendant and stole money from the cash register;
• A Dec. 26 robbery at the ShopRite on Route 9 in Bayville where he stole money from a register and pushed a woman as he ran out of the store;
• A Dec. 26 robbery at Krauser's on Hooper Avenue in Toms River where he attacked the cashier and stole cigarettes;
• A Dec. 30 robbery at the 7-Eleven on Route 166 in Toms River where he grabbed the cashier around the neck and held a rock to the man's head, then stole cash from the register and ran out of the store;
• And a New Year's Eve robbery at the Exxon Tiger Mart on Route 37 in Toms River where he threw hot coffee at the attendant and stole money from the cash register.

Billhimer said the burglary charge resulted after the investigation turned up evidence that Jann had broken into a Beachwood home on July 27, 2020, and stolen cash from the home.

Jann was arrested on Jan. 1, 2021 by Toms River police and has been held in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest, Billhimer said.

Prosecutors will be seeking a sentence of 16 years in prison on the first-degree charges, eight years on the second-degree charges and four years on the burglary charge at sentencing, which is scheduled for Jan. 14, with the sentences to run concurrently, Billhimer said.

Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni is handling the case, and Billhimer thanked the Toms River Township Police Department, Berkeley Township Police Department, Beachwood Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their efforts in the investigation.

With reporting by Karen Wall.

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