The strong-arm robbery of a 14-year-old boy in Monmouth's Ocean Township while a festival carried on merrily nearby last Friday prompts a continued, intensive search for the suspect.

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According to township police, the teen and his mom reported the incident as having occurred at about 9:45 PM on a walkway in Joe Palaia Park. He had gone there to attend the Italian-American Festival, police said.

The alleged victim said he was surrounded by four men on a path on the south side of the park. One closed in on him, demanding money. When the teen refused to comply, he was hit twice in the face, police said.

He turned over his cash, and all four involved in the assault ran off in the direction of the festival, police said, adding that the teen was unharmed.

The suspect is described as a tall black male, about 6'1" in height, with a dark complexion, and dreadlocks with white bleached tips. At the time, he wore a maroon tee shirt bearing the legend "Diamond Surf Co.," beige-colored pants and black Jordan sneackers with reflective stripes.

Detective Bryan Morgan, 732-531-1428, seeks witnesses to the crime. Tips can be forwarded anonymously to CrimeTips@oceantwp.org, or to the Ocean Township PD Tip Hotline, 732-531-3323.

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