Three Lakewood Teens Held for Five Armed Robberies

Three Lakewood teens are accused of a reign of terror at the end of a gun that began with a pair of armed robberies September 26 in Toms River and ended with three more October 2 in Lakewood.

Devin Delaine, 18, was held on $250,000 bail and no option for release on payment of 10 percent in the Ocean County Jail after his arrest by a combined force of Lakewood and Toms River police. Two 17-year-olds were placed in the Ocean  County Juvenile Detention Center.

According to Lakewood police, the robbery lightning-round started at 10:45 Thursday night when a 24-year-old reported being accosted for his cell phone near Second Street and Woehr Avenue by a young man who emerged from light-colored Nissan Altima, wielding a gun. The victim threw his phone and, as he ran, saw the car take off with the suspect inside, police said.

At about 11 PM, a 26-year-old man reported being confronted by two men, one with a handgun, while he unloaded groceries from his car near his house on Eighth Street, police said. He told officers that they took the goods and hit him in the head. A witness reported seeing them leave in a light-colored Nissan Altima.

Within 10 minutes, police raced to Albert Avenue where two women described a near-violent encounter with two men, one pointing a handgun at them. They grabbed one by the arm with the intent of taking her into some nearby woods but she broke away and ran until they felt sure that they weren't being followed, police said.

At 11:25 PM, another call to police by a good Samaritan described what appeared to be an aborted robbery involving three males, two of whom emerged from a light-colored Nissan Altima and forced a woman to the ground. The caller related that his presence might have caused them to jump back in the car and flee.

The search for the Nissan ended a short while later. All three were charged with armed robbery, theft and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.

Information stemming from the arrests connected them to a parallel probe of two September 26 armed holdups in Toms River and resulted in a joint investigation.

The three are now also accused of robbing two women on Parkcrest Drive, just before robbing a couple in the parking lot of the Red Lobster on Hooper Avenue. Two more robbery counts were added to the charges.