A 36-year-old Farmingdale man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison following a violent crime spree that included attempting to kidnap a 13-year-old Jewish girl in Lakewood, New Jersey. Quamel Benton received seven years for the attempted kidnapping, Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer ruled on Friday.
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.
The violent rampage began on March 21 in Willingboro, where Benton attacked his pregnant girlfriend with an aluminum baseball bat before stealing her vehicle. The crime spree then moved to Ocean County, where at approximately 7:30 p.m., Benton attempted to kidnap the teenage girl near Forest Park Circle in Lakewood.
According to police, Benton drove up to the girl and attempted to pull her into his SUV, but she ran away. He caught up to her on foot and threw her to the ground, but she fought back fiercely, ripping his white tank top before breaking free and running home without her shoes. Police later recovered the girl's footwear and a piece of the torn undershirt at the scene.
The evening's crimes continued when Benton allegedly sexually harassed a woman at a Target store in Toms River around 9 p.m. Police pursued his vehicle until he began driving erratically and headed north on the Garden State Parkway. Around 12:40 a.m. the next day, he attempted to force his way into another woman's vehicle in Toms River. After a police chase, Benton crashed into a utility pole near Route 70 and Whitesville Road before being apprehended following a brief foot pursuit.
Under the state's No Early Release Act, Benton must serve at least 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Benton faces additional serious charges in Burlington County, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, weapons offenses, endangering an injured victim, and five counts of child neglect related to the attack on his girlfriend. He has been held at Burlington County Detention Center in Mount Holly since his March 22 arrest.
Asbury Park Press and Shore News Network contributed to this article.
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