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Four Philly men jailed in Hamilton armed home invasion


  • Crime-Courts

Four Philadelphia men who sparked a manhunt in Hamilton Township last week now are jailed in other states, police said.

Police were called to a home in the 4500 block of Drosera Street in Mays Landing at about 12:48 p.m. last Monday for the report of an armed robbery.

Three armed men forced their way into the residence and assaulted someone inside and committed a theft, according to the report. 

The men were identified as Dioanny Mejia, Gianmarcos Lopez and Haniel Gabriel. A fourth man, Jose Castillo-Pena, was also with them.

Hamilton Township police put out a warning to residents at the time that there were three men being sought, along with a black minivan with temporary registration. 

Police said that the three has run into the woods west toward the William J. Hughes Technical Center.

Residents in the area of Leipzig and Drosera were warned to stay inside with their doors locked as police searched for the possibly armed suspect. No details were given about the crime at that time.

Police issued an update that the area was cleared a short time later.

They now say the three were accompanied by a fourth man, Jose Castillo-Pena. 

Mejia, 26, and Castillo-Pena, 23, were found a short time later in Philadelphia, where they were taken into custody by members of the FBI and Philadelphia Police Department, police said.

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Gabriel, 28, and Lopez, 21, were taken into custody by the Oklahoma City Police Department.  

All four men remain jailed in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, records show.

They face charges including first-degree armed robbery, conspiracy and several counts each of aggravated assault.


NOTE: This story originally ran Oct. 7. It has been updated to include information about the crime and the suspects.


author

Lynda Cohen

BreakingAC founder who previously worked in newspapers for more than two decades. She is an NJPA award-winner and was a Stories of Atlantic City fellow.

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