Less than a day after a TD Bank in Toms River was knocked over, a Berkeley Township man is in custody.

Angelo Grenci (Toms River PD)
Angelo Grenci (Toms River PD)
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Angelo Grenci, 39, of Liberta Drive, was captured  without incident this morning at Friendly's on Route 37 in the township, practically within shouting distance of the bank on Mule Road.

Police said a tipster informed them that Grenci would be in the restaurant at that hour. Officers Brett Hansen, Ryan Parente and Michael Gallipoli approached him as he sat alone in a booth.

Grenci was armed with a large knife and initially gave officers a false identity, according to details released today.

Grenci's troubled past includes an arrest related to a robbery in Barnegat this past July.

A check of Internet sources indicates that Grenci was convicted of burglary and assault in 2003 in a trial he did not attend, was arrested in Mexico, and granted a new trial by the state Supreme Court because he was not given adequate notice of a superseding indictment on which the trial was based.

The flight across the border captured the attention of "America's Most Wanted." Following his capture, Grenci was sentenced to nine years. The full experience formed the basis of a book he authored, "Inabsentia," which is still sold via Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other sites.

Police credit the 145,000 viewers who visited their Facebook page with providing a "flood" of useful information.

“We would like to thank the media and the followers of our police Facebook page for having the willingness to getting involved,” said Chief Mitchell Little in prepared remarks.

“These partnerships are yielding results greater than we could have imagined just a few short years ago.”

 

 

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