Barnegat Duo Charged In Manahawkin Walmart Shoplifting Cases

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A Barnegat couple was arrested and later charged again after Stafford Township police investigated a series of shoplifting incidents at the Walmart at 525 Route 72 in Manahawkin.

On April 29, 2026, Nicholas K. Maida, 38, of Lexington Boulevard in Barnegat, and Samantha F. Maida, 34, of Lexington Boulevard in Barnegat, were arrested in connection with what police described as the theft of about $95 in merchandise from the store. According to the Stafford Township Police Department, those arrests stemmed from a shoplifting investigation involving incidents that occurred in April 2026.

Police charged both Nicholas K. Maida and Samantha F. Maida with two counts of disorderly persons shoplifting. The department reported that both were released with criminal complaint summonses to appear in Stafford Township Municipal Court.

The case later expanded. Police said the Stafford Township Police Department Detective Bureau conducted a follow-up investigation on May 6, 2026, into several additional shoplifting incidents at the same Walmart that occurred between January 2026 and February 2026.

According to the police department, that investigation found the same two defendants had shoplifted about $211 in merchandise during that period. On May 7, 2026, both went to police headquarters to turn themselves in, according to the department.

Police then charged each of them with two additional counts of disorderly persons shoplifting. They were again released with criminal complaint summonses to appear in Stafford Township Municipal Court.