Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. announced today that a former Rutgers’ student has pleaded guilty to multiple counts in connection with his participation in three home invasions in which victims, who also were members of the student body, were targeted for drugs and cash.
According to police, Tejay Johnson, 26, of Egg Harbor pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery in the first degree, three counts of armed burglary in the second degree, and three counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery in the second degree during a hearing on Jan. 3rd, before Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves.
Under the terms of a plea agreement reached with Middlesex County First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher L.C. Kuberiet and Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Ma, the defendant will be sentenced to 15 years in a New Jersey state prison subject to the No Early Release Act. As such, Johnson will have to serve 85 percent of the term before he can be released on parole.
As part of the plea agreement the charges Tejay Johnson was facing regarding an assault on Delafield Street on April 25, 2015 have been dismissed.
The sentence is expected to be imposed by Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves at a hearing on March 16, 2018.
Authorities arrested and charged Johnson following an intensive investigation by Detective Drew Weiss of the New Brunswick Police Department and Detective Gregory Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
A Middlesex County grand jury subsequently handed up three separate indictments on December 16, 2015, charging Johnson with over 30 counts of charges including armed robbery, armed burglary, possession of weapons, theft and conspiracy.
The investigation determined that on April 26, 2015, Johnson was one of three masked men who forced their way into a home on Prosper Street in New Brunswick and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and marijuana from five students while being armed.
According to authorities, on April 27, 2015, police linked Johnson and two others to a home invasion on Hartwell Street in New Brunswick. The investigation determined that Johnson and another individual forced their way into the home, armed with a bat and a knife, and robbed a student of approximately $900 as well as an undisclosed amount of marijuana.
Then, on May 5, 2015 a third home invasion took place where Johnson and another man tried to force their way into another student’s room in a dormitory complex at Livingston College in Piscataway. Both fled when the students targeted in the robbery resisted by closing and locking the door; nothing was stolen in that incident. Three other individuals were also involved in the planning and execution of the robbery.
As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against all defendants are merely accusations and all are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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