Lacey Cops: Barnegat Man Charged With Robbery After Ride Goes Awry

Lacey police have charged a Barnegat man with second-degree robbery after he tried to steal a wallet belonging to a woman who gave him a ride, Police Chief David A. Paprota said.

Officer Elton Copes responded to the area of Clearview Street and Ocean Street in the South Barnegat Pines section of the township for a report of a strong-arm robbery at 6:18 p.m. on Jan. 29, the chief said.

A resident reported that he was walking his dog in that area when he heard a female yell that she had just been robbed. The resident chased the suspect towards Ocean Street, where he eventually lost sight of suspect. The woman told police that she gave Joseph L. Biggs, 22, Brookville Road, a ride to Lacey from a friend’s house in Waretown, Paprota said.

When they arrived in Lacey, Biggs told the woman to pull over, grabbed her wallet from the center console and got out of the vehicle. When the woman confronted Biggs, he kicked her legs out from under her and pushed her to the ground, the chief said.

Biggs then fled the scene on foot. Biggs was charged with second-degree robbery and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Ocean County Superior Court Judge Wendel Daniels set Biggs’ bail at $150,000, Paprota said.

Biggs turned himself in on Sunday, Jan.31. He was processed and taken to the Ocean County Jail in Tlms River in default of bail, the chief said.