Man Charged In Gunpoint Carjacking At Toms River AutoZone

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Burlington County man is facing carjacking and weapons charges after police say he took a vehicle at gunpoint in the parking lot at AutoZone on Friday, Toms River police said Saturday.

Devin S. Copley-Clevenger, 20, of Lumberton, was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree carjacking, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a high-capacity magazine, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department. The charges were approved by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Messina said.

Copley-Clevenger is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

The incident was reported about 4:10 p.m. The victim told police he had given an acquaintance a ride to the AutoZone at 10 Route 37 East after the acquaintance's vehicle had broken down, Messina said.

Once at AutoZone, the acquaintance got out of the vehicle and walked to the store, the victim told police. Moments later the passenger door opened and another man — later identified as Copley-Clevenger — got in the vehicle, brandished a handgun and demanded the victim’s belongings, the victim told police. The victim got out of the vehicle and ran to a neighboring lot where he called police, Messina said.

Copley-Clevenger then took off in the vehicle and headed west on Route 37 toward Manchester, she said. Manchester Township Police were immediately notified and quickly found it on Route 37 near Lakehurst and pulled it over in the parking lot of the Lakehurst Diner, where Copley-Clevenger was arrested without incident, Messina said.

The vehicle was searched and police found a loaded 9mm handgun with a high-capacity magazine, she said. The Ocean County Sheriff's Department Crime Scene Unit responded to process the vehicle.

The incident remains under investigation by Detective Travis Seaman; anyone with information about it is urged to contact him at tseaman@trpolice.org.

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