Knife-Wielding Berkeley Store Robber Sentenced To Prison

BERKELEY, NJ — A Brick woman who robbed a Berkeley convenience store at knifepoint demanding cash and cigarettes after breaking into another local shop has been sentenced to prison, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Jessica Napolitano, 37, was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for her robbery charge in connection with the events that occurred in Berkeley Township in the early morning hours of Oct. 15, 2024, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. This is subject to the No Early Release Act, so Napolitano will have to serve at least 85 percent of her sentence before reaching parole eligibility. She was also sentenced to three years for the burglary charge from the same day. These sentences will run concurrently.

At about 4:20 a.m. Oct. 15, a robbery was reported at The Corner Store on Ocean Gate Drive, authorities said. A woman, later identified as Napolitano, had entered the store, brandished a knife at the cashier and demanded money and cigarettes, officials said.

Staff gave the cash and cigarettes to the woman, who fled the scene, authorities said.

Investigation found that just before this, a woman threw a rock through the front window of the Dollar General on Atlantic City Boulevard in an attempt to get cigarettes, officials said.

She was unsuccessful, and then left for The Corner Store, authorities said. The woman was identified as Napolitano and was found in Lakewood, where she was taken into custody, officials said.

Napolitano remains lodged at Ocean County Jail on a separate matter.