4 Charged In Armed Home Invasion In South Jersey: Police

HAMILTON, NJ — Four men from Philadelphia were charged in a violent home invasion in an Atlantic County town, police said.

Three armed men broke into a home on the 4500 block of Drosera Street in Mays Landing on the afternoon of Oct. 7, Township of Hamilton police said.

Once inside, the men assaulted one of the residents, committed a theft and then fled on foot, according to police.

According to NJ.com, one person in the house was pistol whipped as the three demanded cash from a safe. Another was bound with tape at gunpoint, the report said.

The three men were identified as Dioanny Mejia, 26, Gianmarcos Lopez, 21 and Haniel Gabriel, 28, police said. They were then accompanied by a fourth man, Jose Castillo-Pena, 23, police said.

The NJ.com report said that the men are believed to be linked to the "Trinitarios," a Dominican-American gang.

They were charged with robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, conspiracy and weapons offenses.

Mejia and Castillo-Pena were found and taken into custody by the FBI and Philadelphia police, while Gabriel and Lopez were caught by Oklahoma City police, authorities said. All four are in jail.

The Township of Hamilton Police Department, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation – Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Police Department are investigating.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Township of Hamilton Police at (609) 625-2700.