New Jersey

Man Who Terrorized NJ Drivers for Months Arrested, Faces 93 Criminal Charges: Police

Most of the cases happened on Valentine's Day on one stretch of road in Ocean County

What to Know

  • An NJ man faces 93 charges for allegedly terrorizing drivers in a single county for months, throwing things at their cars as they drove
  • Cops say 40+ vehicles were hit by objects thrown from a car going the other way, mainly on County Road 539 in Ocean County, from Dec-March
  • Most of the cases happened on Valentine's Day, police say; cops got a break in the case when a victimized driver tailed the suspect's car

A 35-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly terrorizing New Jersey drivers for months, throwing objects at nearly four dozen windshields as they traveled through a single county, authorities said Friday. 

Anthony Lewis, of Chesterfield, faces a total of 93 criminal charges -- 31 counts each of criminal mischief, interference with transportation and reckless endangerment -- in the wild December-March spree in Ocean County. 

Police in Manchester announced the arrest on Facebook Friday. They said a multi-jurisdictional investigation found more than 40 vehicles in Ocean County had been hit with objects thrown from a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction between December and March. Most of the cases were on Valentine's Day, along a stretch of County Route 539 in Plumsted Township, poilce said. 

On that Feb. 14, more than 15 cars ended up with damaged windshields. In one case, a metal nut struck and got stuck in the driver-side, side-view mirror. 

Cops say they got a break in the case on March 7, when the Manchester Police Department got a 911 call from a driver reporting his windshield had been hit by something thrown from a vehicle going the opposite way on that same road.

The caller told police he was following the vehicle from which he suspected the object had been thrown and provided cops with a description, license plate and direction of travel. Manchester Police stopped that vehicle in Plumsted Township.

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Lewis, was taken into custody on an outstanding traffic warrant out of Jackson. He was released on his own recognizance for the traffic offense at that time. 

Based on the information from the 911 caller March 7 and further investigation into dashcam video and other evidence, cops say they linked Lewis to a total of 31 incidents of vehicle damage throughout Ocean County. He was arrested at his home on Tuesday and lodged in the Ocean County Jail. Authorities did not release any information on a possible motive, nor was it clear if Lewis had an attorney who could comment on the allegations against him.

Police say their investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be filed. Anyone with information is asked to call Manchester Police Detective Adam Emmons at 732-657-2009 ext. 4203 or Plumsted Township Detective Anthony Ringle at 609-758-7077 extension 203. 

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