Man admits to hitting 6 stores in violent spate of NJ robberies, officials say

A man admitted on Tuesday that he robbed six stores, often violently, in three cities in Ocean County within days in late 2020, and also robbed a home, authorities said.
Thomas Jann, 34, of Beachwood, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree theft, four counts of second-degree theft and one count of burglary, according to a statement from the Ocean County District Attorney’s Office.
The series of incidents began on July 27, 2020, when Jann entered a Beachwood home and stole money, the office said. Detectives then became aware of the burglary throughout their investigation.
Jann then attacked a gas station attendant at the Wawa convenience store on Route 9 in Toms River on December 19, 2020 and stole money from the cash register, officials said.
On Christmas Eve, he walked into the Robins convenience store in Beachwood, pointed what appeared to be a cutter at the clerk, stole money from the cash register and fled, the office said.
Two days later, he entered the ShopRite located on Route 9 in Bayville, stole money from the checkout and pushed a woman out of the supermarket, authorities said. That same day, Jann entered the Krauszer’s convenience store on Hooper Avenue in Toms River, attacked the cashier, and fled with cigarettes.
On December 30, Jann entered the 7-Eleven on Route 166 in Toms River, grabbed the cashier by the neck, held a stone to his head, and stole money from the cash register before running away. from the convenience store, according to the press release.
Finally, on New Years Eve, he entered the Exxon Tiger Mart on Route 37 in Toms River, threw hot coffee at the attendant and stole money from the ledger, investigators said.
The next day, Jann was arrested by officers from the Toms River County Police Department and has since been held in the Ocean County Jail, the office said.
Jann is due to be sentenced on January 14, when prosecutors announced they would seek a 16-year prison sentence in the state for his crimes.
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Chris Sheldon can be reached at [email protected].