Crime & Safety

Alleged Hazlet Shoplifter Tackled by Toms River Police

Joseph Jack, 24, of Morganville was arrested in Toms River last Thursday after allegedly attempting to run from officers during a motor vehicle stop.

Originally written by Gregory Kyriakakis.

A man Hazlet Police say was responsible for theft from a Home Depot in July was tackled by police arrested in Toms River on Aug. 15.

In July, Hazlet Police told residents on its Facebook page that the force was searching the Stone Road area for a shoplifting subject who also allegedly assaulted a security guard.

Joseph Jack, 24, of Morganville was arrested in Toms River last Thursday after allegedly attempting to run from officers during a motor vehicle stop. Jack, who also uses a Union Beach address, is also allegedly responsible for the Home Depot incident according to Hazlet Police.

In Toms River, Officer Louis Taranto was running the names of the driver and passengers of the vehicle stopped at Route 37 and Vaughn Avenue at 3 p.m. when he became “suspicious” of the identifying information given to him by a rear seat passenger carrying no ID, Chief of Police Michael Mastronardy said.

“A computer check showed the suspect gave information that he was a person who had a $5,000 warrant out of Newark,” the chief said in an email statement. “The officer was about to place the suspect under arrest when he then fled eastbound on foot.”

Toms River officers found that Jack had outstanding warrants totaling $7,700 from various jurisdictions including Keansburg and Matawan. He was held in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River on those warrants and an additional $2,500 for resisting arrest and hindering apprehension, according to Mastronardy.

Jack was also issued a summons for not wearing a seatbelt, the chief said.

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