Howell Man In Chilling Video Admits Following Women To Rob Them

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Howell Township man has admitted following women home from various stores with the plan of robbing them at their homes, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced Wednesday.

Tristan Reyes, 20, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of first-degree attempted armed robbery and one count of third-degree attempted burglary before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Richard W. English, the prosecutor's office said.

The charges stemmed from incidents in February and March 2018 that were highlighted by a chilling video from surveillance cameras at the home of one of the women. The video, posted to Facebook but no longer public, showed the woman arriving home and a minivan pulling up not far from her driveway. As the woman began unloading groceries from her car, a man is seen sneaking up the driveway and across the grass in an attempt to stay hidden from the open garage door. Only when the family's dog comes out and starts to bark does the man take off.

The video spread like wildfire on social media, and Reyes was arrested the following day, March 9, 2018, by Howell Township police, after he and his vehicle were identified through store surveillance tapes.

Reyes initially was charged with .At Tuesday's hearing, Reyes admitted to three incidents; in each case, he saw a woman shopping alone in a local store, followed the woman inside the store on foot, and ultimately drove behind her to her home. The women ranged from 18-38 years of age, and Reyes said he did not know any of them, but followed them home in order to rob them while armed with a knife.

Reyes’ efforts were thwarted before any of the victims were injured. In one instance, Reyes followed a Jackson woman home, came to her front door and entered her home, after he requested to use the phone. The woman’s 20-year old daughter answered the door and allowed him to make a call. He was surprised another person was home and fled the scene.

On another occasion in Howell, an 18-year old female called her father after she grew suspicious of someone following her home from the grocery store in a minivan. After trying numerous maneuvers to lose the van, the victim drove home and her father pulled his car out to block any further pursuit. The van made a U-turn and drove away.

The third instance was the one caught on surveillance video.

Reyes initially was charged with four counts of attempted aggravated sexual assault but those counts appear to have been dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Reyes is scheduled to be sentenced before English on April 18, 2019, and faces up to 15 years in prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, and five years of probation. He remains in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where he has been held since his arrest.

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Photo provided by Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office