A man has been sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State Prison for attempting to kidnap a Jewish teenage girl in Lakewood earlier this year. Quamel Benton, 36, received the sentence from Judge Kenneth T. Palmer, who ruled that Benton must serve at least 85% of his term before becoming eligible for parole under the state’s No Early Release Act.

The incident occurred on the evening of March 21 near Forest Park Circle in Lakewood, where Benton attempted to abduct the girl. After a scuffle, she managed to escape and tell an adult, who called police and shomrim, prompting a large-scale response.

Later that night, Benton was involved in a separate incident at a Target parking lot in Toms River, where he allegedly inappropriately touched a woman before fleeing. Police engaged in a high-speed chase but terminated it for safety reasons. The night’s events came to a head around 12:40 a.m. when Toms River police apprehended Benton after he attempted to assault another Jewish woman in the driveway of her Toms River home. Following a pursuit, Benton crashed his vehicle and was captured after a brief foot chase.

Authorities later connected Benton to an aggravated assault in Willingboro, Burlington County, earlier that same day. He faces additional charges there, including Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Child Neglect. Since his arrest, Benton has been held at Burlington County Jail awaiting resolution of those charges.

As part of his sentencing, Benton was also fined, penalized, and had his driving privileges suspended after pleading guilty to Driving While Intoxicated, which occurred during the series of events.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)