Career Robber Pleads Guilty to Robbing Two Ocean County Banks
TOMS RIVER – A Pennsylvania man that was arrested back in April in connection to a string of robberies in southern Ocean County has pleaded guilty to his crimes, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.
Kim Ngyuen, 39, of Newton Square, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery on Friday and submitted a plea agreement that calls for him to be sentenced to five years per count amounting to ten years in New Jersey State Prison.
Nguyen was arrested on April 14th in connection with two separate bank robberies at the Wells Fargo Bank in Stafford Township on March 16th and the M&T Bank in Barnegat a few days later on March 19th.
In both instances, he walked up to the teller and passed a note demanding money while indicating “this is a robbery.”
Detectives reviewed surveillance footage from surrounding businesses and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and were able to identify the vehicle with Pennsylvania license plates that they believed was driven by the suspect, which later turned out to be registered to Ngyuen’s father.
After further investigation, it was revealed that Ngyuen was on parole for a bank robbery that he committed back in 2012, which he employed the same tactics that he used in these robberies.
Ngyuen’s fingerprints were also lifted from one of the robbery notes that he handed to the tellers.
He was found in New York and confessed to committing both of the robberies.
These two bank robberies close a chapter on a string of burglaries that have occurred throughout the county this year.
In June, police arrested an Ocean Gate man for robbing three banks in Toms River and Lacey Township in April and May.
Mark Anthony is a reporter with Townsquare Media: Mark.Kowalski@townsquaremedia.com
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