Jackson victim robbed, beaten, dragged – arrest in Lakewood

JACKSON - An alleged robbery victim in Jackson who refused to give up, despite being beaten and then dragged by a car - and the suspect's own friends - lead to an arrest for a brutal Saturday incident at a gas station in the township.

Nicholas Bonaccorso, 30, was apprehended Sunday in a Lakewood motel, according to information issued by Jackson police. Also arrested was a Toms River woman sought on an active warrant.

Bonaccorso is charged with robbery, assault by auto, simple assault, and theft. He was placed in the Ocean County Jail while Jennifer Tayse, 33, was released to await court proceedings on the Jackson warrant.

Officers Ernest Thomason, Keith Franch and Michael Goelz arrived at a Sunoco on North Countyline Road at about 12:45 AM on November 25, responding to a report of a woman run over by a vehicle.

The injured woman, treated on site by Jackson first-aiders, told investigators that while she was buying lottery tickets, a man who had been inside a car outside the convenience shop strode in and grabbed her wristlet purse. The accessory, and the items inside, were valued at about $200.

She told police that when she tried to fend off the robbery, she was beaten repeatedly on the head, face, and upper body, and pulled him to the floor where the struggle continued.

As her attacker broke free, she managed to pull off his hooded sweatshirt and hat, which he left behind, police said.

She wasn't done. Police related that she followed the suspect to his car, and climbed on on the passenger's side as he began to leave. He allegedly beat her about the face and tried to push her out as he sent the car into reverse gear.

He then moved forward and dragged her through the parking area before she fell away and he completed his escape, police said.

A witness gave officers a partial license-plate identification while they reviewed security video. Police said that they recognized Bonaccorso from previous encounters, and that information about the car fit the description of a vehicle registered to a member of Bonaccorso's family.

Searches in several spots turned up no suspect, but police said that they received word that Bonaccorso told several others that he needed help after robbing someone.

By Sunday evening, Information turned the focus to the Hilton Gardens Hotel, where Jackson and Lakewood police confronted and apprehended the pair. They did not elaborate regarding previous interactions with Bonaccorso, or the nature of the warrant issued for Tayse.

Charges are accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until, found guilty in a court of law.

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