Serial Shoplifter Arrested in Manalapan NetCost Theft, Police Say

MANALAPAN, NJ - A few weeks ago, we reported on an 85-year-old woman who had her wallet stolen while shopping at the NetCost Market on Tennant Road in Manalapan.

Now, police say they have arrested the man who allegedly lifted her wallet and that he's wanted for a slew of shoplifting incidents and outstanding warrants from Bridgewater, Milltown and South River — as well as stealing more than $4,000 worth of goods from the Manalapan Target, police said.

At 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, the 85-year-old woman said a man removed her wallet from her purse while she was shopping at the NetCost; the wallet had approximately $1,000 cash in it. On January 23, Detective Charles Alaimo arrested James Manion, a 34-year-old unmarried, unemployed resident of Parlin. He is also responsible for multiple thefts totaling over $4,000 in lost merchandise from the Manalapan Target on Rt. 9, Det. Alaimo said.

Earlier this month, on Jan. 13, Manion was arrested in Bridgewater, for shoplifting $1,363 in goods from the Target at the Promenade Shopping Center there. Manion was also found to have outstanding warrants from Belleville, Hillside, Milltown and South River, NJ. After being processed for the arrest, Manion was served with a complaint summons for shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was lodged in the Somerset County Jail, but released and then arrested Jan. 23 in Manalapan.

Related:

5 Shoplifting Arrests Made in Bridgewater (Bridgewater Patch)