Home All NewsBreaking News Man Who Tried to Kidnap Young Lakewood Girl Gets 7 Years in Prison

Man Who Tried to Kidnap Young Lakewood Girl Gets 7 Years in Prison

by Breaking Local News Report

TOMS RIVER, N.J. – A Farmingdale man has been sentenced to seven years in state prison for attempting to kidnap a teenage girl and committing multiple other crimes during a violent spree across Ocean and Burlington counties in March 2024, prosecutors announced Friday.

Quamel Benton, 36, received a seven-year sentence for attempted kidnapping, which falls under the No Early Release Act, requiring him to serve at least 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Benton was also sentenced to two five-year terms for eluding police and 18 months for criminal sexual contact. Some of these sentences will run consecutively, extending his total prison time.

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On March 21, 2024, Benton attempted to pull a teenage girl into his SUV in Lakewood, but she escaped and ran home. Hours later, Benton groped a woman in the parking lot of a Target store in Toms River before fleeing the scene. Police pursued him, but Benton escaped after a high-speed chase.

In the early hours of March 22, Benton was caught after attempting to break into another woman’s car in Toms River. He crashed his vehicle during a police chase and was arrested following a brief foot pursuit.

Investigators linked Benton to all incidents in Lakewood, Toms River, and a related aggravated assault in Willingboro, where he faces separate charges, including attempted murder and child neglect.

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Benton has been in custody since his arrest and will continue serving his sentence in New Jersey State Prison.

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