Howell Man Gets 15 Years In Jail For Following Women From Stores

FREEHOLD, NJ —A Howell Township man who was caught on a chilling surveillance video trying to sneak up on a woman he'd followed home from a store has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in three incidents, the Monmouth County prosecutor's office announced Monday.

Tristan Reyes, 20, of Howell, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Richard W. English to 15 years in prison subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act, for two counts of first-degree attempted armed robbery and one count of third-degree attempted burglary, Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said. Reyes had pleaded guilty to those charges on Feb. 19.

The incidents happened in February and March 2018 in Howell and Jackson.

In each of the incidents, Reyes saw a woman shopping alone in a local store, followed the woman inside the store on foot, and ultimately followed her in his vehicle as she drove home. The women ranged from 18 to 38 years old.

During his plea, Reyes admitted that he followed three women to their homes, whom he did not know after observing them shopping in local malls. He did not know any of the women and was planning on robbing them while armed with a knife however his efforts were thwarted before he could assault the women.

In one instance, after following a Jackson woman home, Reyes went to her front door and pretended to need to use a phone. He was surprised to find her 20-year old daughter was also home and fled the scene.

On another occasion in Howell, Reyes followed an 18-year old female around a grocery store and then to her residence. The victim realized she was being followed and called her father for help. 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 incident led to his arrest and was caught in 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.

The sentence requires Reyes to serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for release on parole. Once released, Reyes will be on parole supervision for five years.

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