OCEAN TOWNSHIP — A New York man is facing shoplifting charges for allegedly stealing $200 worth of merchandise from the Wegmans supermarket on Route 35 last week.
On Nov. 11 at approximately 2:06 p.m., Ocean Township Police were called to the Wegmans store in reference to a shoplifting in progress, which was caught on the store’s surveillance video, according to police reports.
Before officers arrived at the scene, the suspect, later identified as Carl Michael Geiger, 33, of Staten Island, N.Y., managed to elude Wegmans loss prevention personnel and flee into the store’s parking lot, according to reports.
After arriving on the scene, Ocean Township Police Officers Bryan Morgan and Jack Piantanida began searching for the suspect. A short time later, a passing motorist advised police that they saw the suspect cross Route 35 and run down Doris Avenue.
After following the motorist’s lead, Morgan saw the accused man enter a taxi on Doris Avenue in an apparent attempt to leave the area, officials said.
Morgan subsequently stopped the cab, took Geiger into custody and transported him to the Ocean Township Police Department for further processing.
Further investigation by officers revealed that Geiger was also the suspect in a shoplifting turned robbery at a Wegmans in Woodbridge, which occurred on Oct. 23.
Geiger was charged with fourth-degree shoplifting by the Ocean Township Police Department, and his 2005 Lexus was subsequently seized under the state criminal forfeiture guidelines.
Geiger was issued a criminal summons for the shoplifting charge by township police and was later turned over to the Woodbridge Police Department.