LAKEWOOD – A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison after injuring a woman and stealing her car, officials said.
John Bailey, 36, of Bayville, previously pled guilty to Carjacking in connection with an incident to happened on Hearth Court in Lakewood Township on December 5, 2018.
According to police, a 20-year-old woman was sitting in her car outside her home when an unknown man approached her asking for directions and a ride. The woman gave him directions but declined to give him a ride.
The man later returned to her car, pounded on the window and broke the glass, police said. The man then entered the car, sat on the woman and began to choke her. He then drove away with the woman trapped inside and threatened to kill her if she did not remain quiet, police said.
The woman was able to escape by opening the passenger side door and jumping out as the car was in motion, police said. She then ran to a nearby house and the police were called.
The victim was brought to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood for treatment of multiple injuries including a bite mark to her leg, a laceration on her head and wounds to her neck.
Later that day, the woman’s car was found abandoned in Jackson with blood stains on the rear driver’s side door and quarter panel, police said.
On June 5, 2020, the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences advised that the DNA profile obtained from the blood stain on the car was a possible match to Bailey.
On October 13, 2020, a court-ordered buccal swab was taken from Bailey and compared to the DNA profiles from the blood stain and bite mark on the victim’s leg.
On January 4, 2021, the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences confirmed that Bailey was the source of the DNA found. The following day, Bailey was charged with Carjacking on a warrant and entered into the National Crime Information Center database as a wanted person.
On January 26, 2021, Bailey was apprehended by members of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office/United States Marshals Service Task Force in Perth Amboy. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since the date of his apprehension.
On August 26, Bailey was sentenced to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison. This sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, meaning that Bailey will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commended the Lakewood Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office/United States Marshals Service Task Force, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, for their collective efforts in connection with this investigation, leading to Bailey’s apprehension, guilty plea, and now his lengthy state prison sentence.
