Police lodge kidnap charges

Manalapan

MANALAPAN - A Toms River man who was arrested by Dover Township police Sept. 1 has been charged by Manalapan police in connection with an incident that occurred in Manalapan in June.

According to Manalapan Detective Sgt. Robert Rushnak, Jamell China, 23, was charged by Manalapan police with kidnapping, carjacking, robbery, criminal re-straint, making terroristic threats and weapons offenses. The charges were filed by detectives Paul Seetoo and Samuel Britton.

According to Rushnak, on June 25, a 20-year-old woman who lives in Manalapan was approached in the parking lot of the Wawa convenience store on Route 9 north near Gordons Corner Road.

Manalapan police allege that shortly after midnight China showed the young woman a knife and forced her to drive her vehicle out of the convenience store's parking lot and onto Route 9.

China is alleged to have forced the woman to stop at and withdraw money from several ATM machines throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The woman was then detained in a motel room in Dover Township, Ocean County, before she was forced to drive China back to Monmouth County.

She was eventually released in the parking lot of the Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold Township.

According to the press release, information developed over the ensuing weeks led police to charge China with the crimes.

As of press time Monday, China remained in the Ocean County jail, Toms River, with a bail of $650,000 on the Manalapan charges and other charges filed in Ocean County stemming from a similar crime China is alleged to have committed there.