TOMS RIVER — A 37-year-old Brick woman, Jessica Napolitano, was sentenced to five years in state prison on September 26 for robbing a convenience store clerk at knifepoint, shortly after burglarizing another store, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer imposed the five-year term for the robbery and a concurrent three-year sentence for burglary. Under the state’s No Early Release Act, Napolitano must serve at least 85 percent of the five-year term before she becomes eligible for parole.
Napolitano pleaded guilty to both the robbery and burglary charges on August 4.
The investigation began when Berkeley police responded to a robbery report at The Corner Store on Ocean Gate Drive. A woman entered the store, brandished a knife, and demanded cash and cigarettes before fleeing with the items.
Further inquiry revealed that prior to the robbery, the same woman had smashed a window at a Dollar General on Atlantic City Boulevard and entered the store after hours, searching unsuccessfully for cigarettes.
Police identified Napolitano as the suspect and arrested her in Lakewood without incident.
Senior Ocean County prosecutor Taylor Toscano and assistant prosecutor Genna Moscato handled the case, with commendations from Billhimer to both the prosecutors and the Berkeley and Lakewood police departments.
