Jackson Man Accused Of Lewdness At Howell Wawa: Police

HOWELL, NJ — A Jackson Township man has been charged with lewdness after a woman reported he exposed his genitals to her at a Wawa in Howell, police said.

The woman called police on Aug. 30 shortly after the 6:30 p.m. incident, Howell Detective Sgt. Christian Antunez said.

The woman, who is in her 50s, told police she was sitting in her car at the Wawa at 4690 Route 9 South, near Kent Road, when a four-door white Buick pulled into the parking space across from her, she told police.

The woman, who said she was speaking on the phone at the time, said she noticed the man driving the Buick was staring at her, Antunez said. There was no one else in either vehicle, he said.

The man, identified as Joseph T. Battista, 58, of Jackson, got out of his car, and as he did so the woman saw his genitals were clearly exposed, the woman told police, Antunez said.

The woman, who told police she was angered and offended, told police she then confronted Battista, telling him he was on camera and that she was going to report the incident to police, Antunez said.

Battista told her he "forgot to zipper" and went into the store, Antunez said.

The woman took a photo of his car with her phone and called police, Antunez said.

Detective Anthony Romano investigated the incident, and arrested Battista, charging him with lewdness, Antunez said. Battista was released pending a court appearance, he said.

Zipper, by Stella Dauer, via Flickr, under Creative Commons license