Quamel Benton, 36, of Farmingdale (Monmouth County) was sentenced on Jan. 10, to seven years in New Jersey State Prison for attempted kidnapping by Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
The sentence requires Benton to serve at least 85% of his term under the No Early Release Act. He also received additional sentences for eluding police and criminal sexual contact, stemming from a chaotic series of crimes in Ocean and Burlington counties on March 21 and March 22, 2024.
The chilling events began in Lakewood at 7:30 p.m. on March 21, 2024, when Benton attempted to force a teenage girl into his white SUV near Forest Park Circle. The girl managed to escape and run home, but Benton fled before officers arrived.
Just 90 minutes later, Benton struck again in Toms River, where he sexually assaulted a woman in the Target parking lot on Hooper Avenue. Witnesses reported that Benton grabbed the woman inappropriately before speeding away, prompting police to pursue his vehicle. The pursuit ended when officers deemed it unsafe to continue, but not before they identified Benton’s car and linked him to an earlier aggravated assault in Willingboro.
The chaos continued into the early hours of March 22, when Benton attempted to enter a woman’s car in Toms River. Officers caught up with him, sparking another high-speed chase that ended with Benton crashing into a utility pole on Route 70 and Whitesville Road. Benton tried to flee on foot but was apprehended after a short pursuit.
Benton’s convictions include attempted kidnapping, eluding police, and criminal sexual contact. He also faces additional charges in Burlington County, including attempted murder and child neglect, from a separate incident earlier that day in Willingboro.
Benton has been held in the Burlington County Jail since his arrest. Authorities confirmed his prison sentence includes additional fines, penalties, and a suspension of his driving privileges.
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