Elderly Man Robbed, Assaulted Nov. 8 At Cheesequake Rest Stop

SAYREVILLE, NJ — New Jersey State Police say this South River man beat and robbed an elderly man in the restroom of the Cheesequake rest area on the Garden State Parkway last Thursday. The Cheesequake rest area is one of the most highly-used rest areas along the Parkway; it's located in South Amboy just before the Driscoll Bridge over Raritan Bay.

Luke Benneman, 46, of South River, was arrested this past Monday and charged with the assault and robbery. When called by Patch, State Police did not give an immediate reason for why the alleged incident happened, and did not give further details.

The incident happened last Thursday, Nov. 8 at 3 in the morning. During the robbery, the victim was punched several times, thrown to the ground and had his wallet stolen, police said. The suspect then fled northbound on the Garden State Parkway in an unknown vehicle. A witness described the vehicle as a dark blue passenger car possibly a Lexus, Toyota, or Nissan with a N.J. plate.

Benneman was arrested after people wrote in tips to the State Police on Facebook, after the State Police shared surveillance video of the suspect as he entered the service area.

"Thanks to your tips, detectives from Troop “D” Criminal Investigations Office were able to identify Benneman as a suspect," the NJ State Police wrote. "On Monday, November 12, detectives located Benneman and arrested him without incident."

He was charged with robbery, aggravated assault and theft by unlawful taking.

Photo released by NJ State Police