Man Robbed, Shot Barnegat Pizza Deliveryman: Police

Barnegat, NJ -- A Toms River man has been arrested in the robbery of a pizza deliveryman last Thursday in Barnegat Township, police said Monday.

Mark L. Crudup II, 21, of Toms River, was arrested early Saturday morning in connection with the robbery, which happened about 11:30 p.m. on July 7, Barnegat police said on the township's official Facebook page.

The victim, a pizza delivery driver, told police that he was approached during a delivery to a Lexington Boulevard address, in the Settler's Landing development, and held at gunpoint by a man who demanded his money, police said. During a verbal exchange between the man and the victim, during which the victim refused to turn over any money, the victim was shot in the abdomen with two projectiles that were believed to be either pellets or BBs, police said.

The projectiles caused minor lacerations and the victim ran and called police, they said.

The newly formed Strategic Police Enforcement Area Response (SPEAR) unit, which was created to address community concerns and localized pockets of criminal activity, investigated the incident along with the Barnegat Police Investigative Division, police said.

"Through their investigative resources and community contacts, members of the SPEAR unit were able to develop information that led to the identification of Mark L Crudup II, 21, of Toms River as the subject believed to have committed the robbery," police said.

Further information led to finding Crudup at an address on Barnegat Avenue in Toms River, and Barnegat police, assisted by Toms River officers, arrested him about 4 a.m. on July 9, Barnegat police said. Officers also recovered a 6mm BB gun, police said.

Crudup is charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree aggravated assault.

He is being held at the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, in lieu of $150,000 cash bail.

"The Barnegat Police Department would like to thank the members of the community who worked with our officers to bring this case to a successful conclusion in just over 24 hours," the release said.