TOMS RIVER, N.J. — An Atlantic City man has pleaded guilty to multiple charges stemming from a 2021 crime spree in Ocean County, including burglary, eluding police, and fraudulent use of a credit card, authorities announced Monday.
Andrew Williams, 45, entered guilty pleas before Superior Court Judge David M. Fritch on April 14 in connection with several incidents in Brick and Stafford townships. Williams admitted to eluding police and committing two vehicle burglaries, one of which occurred on December 16, 2021, and the other on October 25, 2021. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent credit card use related to incidents on December 10 and December 14, 2021.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the State will seek a sentence of ten years in state prison for eluding, eight years for one burglary under the No Early Release Act, and five years each for the remaining charges. The terms are to run concurrently.
Key Points
- Andrew Williams pleaded guilty to five separate charges, including burglary and credit card fraud.
- He attempted to flee police and forcibly enter another vehicle after crashing a van.
- Williams has been in custody at the Ocean County Jail since his arrest on December 16, 2021.
Violent attempt to flee follows gym lot thefts
On December 16, 2021, an off-duty officer observed suspicious activity in the LA Fitness parking lot on Chambers Bridge Road in Brick Township. Responding officers attempted to stop a van involved in the incident, but the vehicle fled and later crashed. Williams, who was driving, then tried to carjack a motorist before entering a police cruiser. Officers quickly apprehended and arrested him at the scene.
That same day, investigators determined Williams had burglarized two vehicles in the gym parking lot.
Williams was also charged in connection with an October 25, 2021 vehicle burglary at the same LA Fitness parking lot, and with two fraudulent transactions made at a Best Buy in Stafford Township using stolen credit cards.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 13, 2025, at which time the court will consider the prosecution’s sentencing recommendation.
