Man Charged with Multiple Armed Robberies in Monmouth and Ocean Counties

Monmouth County authorities have accused a man who is currently being detained at the Ocean County Jail for allegedly robbing a bank in Toms River, of two other robberies that occurred at a bank in Howell last year.

The defendant, 38-year-old Jackson resident Christopher Gilman, is currently in custody at the Ocean County Jail with bail set at $150,000. He was indicted on one count of first-degree robbery on September 30th in connection with an armed robbery that occurred at a TD Bank branch on Route 9 in Toms River on October 14, 2014.

According to acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni, Gilman was identified as responsible for two other robberies in Howell after a coordinated investigation was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, FBI, and Police Departments in Howell, Toms River, Brick, and Jackson.

The first Howell robbery occurred at a TD Bank located on Route 9 in Howell at 6:59 p.m. on October 10, 2014. The assailant was reportedly wearing a mask during the commission of the offense, alluding to the fact that he was armed with a weapon but not presenting it to the teller. As for the second robbery, it occurred at the same bank branch just three weeks later, at 2:09 p.m. on November 1st and is said to have followed a similar pattern to the first.

Now, Gilman is faced with increasingly serious charges, with his bail set in Monmouth County at $200,000. He is currently accused of three separate first-degree crimes, which are considered the most egregious offenses under the New Jersey Criminal Code. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1, robbery is elevated to a first-degree crime if in the course of committing the offense the actor is armed with, or uses, or threatens the immediate use of a deadly weapon.

As such, a person convicted of robbery is exposed to a term of incarceration ranging from 10 to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison. Gilman is facing these penalties in connection with each count of robbery for which he is charged. In addition, robbery is among the crimes enumerated under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA), which requires those convicted of these crimes to serve 85% of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for parole.

For additional information related to this case, access the following article: Man already accused in bank robbery charged with hitting 2 more