Masked Men Robbed Galloway Township Motel Sunday Morning: Police

Galloway Township, NJ -- Two men were charged with various robbery and weapons charges following an armed robbery at the Tri-Way Motel on the White Horse Pike, Galloway Police said Sunday afternoon.

Matthew Lynch, 26, of Galloway, and Emanuel Heath, 22, of Pleasantville, were both charged with the following offenses:

1. Robbery
2. Conspiracy to commit Robbery
3. Possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose
4. Possession of an unlicensed assault firearm
5. Possession of large capacity ammunition magazine
6. Possession of other weapon
7. Burglary
8. Theft
9. Aggravated Assault

Galloway Police responded to the motel for a report of an armed robbery in progress at about 7:56 a.m. Sunday morning.

Police were told that two men wearing white plastic face masks had assaulted the owner/manager with a rifle and a tire iron, and stole some items before fleeing.

Rohit Surti, of Tri-Way Motel was treated on the scene for non-life threatening injuries he sustained during the robbery.

A short time later, police say they found a suspicious vehicle about one block away, in the area of East White Horse Pike and 6th Avenue.

A man and a woman were in the car, and another man was seen getting back into the car as an officer approached.

Police say the car displayed a fictitious license plate, and all exterior factory markings were covered with duct tape.

While speaking with the people in the car, officers say they saw one of the white masks used in the robbery sticking out from under the driver’s seat. Everyone in the car was then detained.

Police later searched the car, and say they found the other white mask, latex gloves, a tire iron, and items stolen from the Tri-Way Motel.

The rifle was recovered a short distance from the car, near where the second man had walked from, police said.

The firearm, suspect clothing, and other items recovered from inside the car all matched what was seen on security camera footage provided by Tri-Way Motel, police said.

The firearm is an AMD-65 AK-47 Semi Automatic Rifle 7.62x39, manufactured by KBI, according to police. It also had a 30 round high capacity magazine, but police said there were no bullets in it when it was recovered.

Lynch and Heath were both lodged in Atlantic County Justice Facility on $250,000 full cash bail.

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