TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A Toms River man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including aggravated assault, robbery, eluding police, and terroristic threats, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
Dylan Panatero, 42, was sentenced by Ocean County Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to multiple prison terms, which will run concurrently. He received 10 years for aggravated assault, seven years for robbery, seven years for eluding, and four years for terroristic threats. The aggravated assault and robbery charges are subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), requiring him to serve at least 85% of those sentences before being eligible for parole. Panatero pleaded guilty to all charges on December 16, 2024.
Panatero’s charges stem from a series of incidents beginning on August 8, 2022, when Toms River police responded to a local residence for an assault report. Officers determined that Panatero had threatened a female homeowner before fleeing. He was later found at a Beachwood residence, where he was taken into custody without incident and transported to Ocean County Jail. He was subsequently released due to New Jersey’s bail reform laws.
More than a year later, on November 2, 2023, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Beachwood police responded to the Sandcastle Diner on Route 37 for a stolen vehicle report. Investigators learned that Panatero had met a female acquaintance in the diner’s parking lot, forcibly removed her from her car, and attempted to drive away while dragging the victim alongside the vehicle.
She suffered cuts and abrasions to her arms and legs. Panatero fled the scene in the stolen car and was initially charged with carjacking, burglary, theft, unlawful taking of a means of conveyance, and two counts of aggravated assault.
A warrant was issued for his arrest, and his name was entered into the National Crime Information Center database.
Six days later, on November 8, 2023, Toms River police attempted to pull over a vehicle that was later confirmed to be driven by Panatero.
The car had a stolen license plate flagged by Bridgewater Township police. Instead of stopping, Panatero accelerated at high speed, driving recklessly eastbound on Route 37 before making an illegal left turn onto Fischer Boulevard. He continued northbound at speeds exceeding 90 mph before running a red light at the intersection of Fischer Boulevard and Yellowbank Road, where he crashed into another vehicle, disabling both cars.
Officers approached the wrecked vehicle and identified Panatero as the driver. He was taken into custody without incident. The driver of the other vehicle sustained injuries and was treated at the scene. Panatero was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment and was later moved to Ocean County Jail, where he remained in custody pending sentencing.
Panatero will now serve a decade in state prison for his crimes across Ocean County.
