New Egypt Man Accused Roughing Up Girlfriend, Stealing Her Car

A New Egypt 47-year-old is accused of stealing his girlfriends car and cell phone when an argument flared out of control on Route 72 in Stafford

Keith Carocci was charged with carjacking and simple assault two days after the incident, say Stafford police.

Investigators say that the victim was found trying to stop traffic on the highway near Fawn Lakes at about 4:40 AM on April 29.

She told officers that during a heated discussion, she stopped on the side of the highway and told Carocci to get out of the car. Carocci is accused of dragging her out of the passenger-side door along with him, sprinting to the driver's side door, re-entering, and taking off.

The victim is said to have sustained minor injuries in the scuffle. Her 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe was found May 1 in a Wawa parking lot in New Egypt.

Carocci was sought by Stafford authorities and the New York-New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force before his May 1 arrest. He was remanded to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, with bail set at $100,000, and no option for release on payment of 10 percent.