On Thursday, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced that Nicholas Ravaioli, 30, of Jackson Township, NJ, entered a guilty plea before Judge Wendel E. Daniels to 2 counts of the second degree crime of luring a child into a motor vehicle for the purpose of a criminal offense with or against a child. This defendant admitted during his guilty plea that he attempted to lure two Lakewood children into his black Nissan Frontier pickup truck for the purpose of committing a crime against the children. The prosecution led by OCPO Senior Assistant Prosecutor Terry Ann Linardakis is seeking 9 years in New Jersey State Prison, with stipulation of three (3) years parole ineligibility concurrent on both counts, Megan’s Law Registration, Nicole’s Law (No contact with victim) and Parole Supervision for Life. Sentencing will occur after a mandatory AVENEL evaluation.

The guilty plea stems from charges filed against the defendant concerning conduct with 5 separate juvenile victims occurring in Lakewood in September of 2013. The terms of the guilty plea prohibit the defendant from having any contact with any of his intended victims. The matter was investigated by Ocean County Prosecutor Detective Lindsay Woodfield and Lakewood Police Detective Steve Wexler, with assistance from Lakewood Police Officers Robert Meyer, Gary Przewoznik and Richard Stanick. The victims ranged in age from 10 to 15 years old. The defendant admitted that he approached victims who were waiting for their school buses in his motor vehicle, made inappropriate comments to them and attempted to lure them into his motor vehicle. Ravaioli was on Parole Supervision for Life as a result of a prior luring conviction at the time of these incidents.

Previously reported event details stated that on September 10, 2013, just before 8 am, a 14 year old female in the area of Pinemere Avenue reported that she was approached by the defendant and propositioned to get into his pickup truck. Approximately an hour later, a 15 year old female reported that the defendant approached her in the vicinity of Kimberly Ave and also solicited her to get into his vehicle. Both children fled and told their parents of the stranger’s attempts to get them into his vehicle. The details were immediately reported to Lakewood Police patrols who quickly located the defendant while he was still driving in the area. Ravaioli was detained and brought to headquarters to continue the investigation.

At Lakewood headquarters, Detective Lindsay Woodfield of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Detective Steven Wexler of the Lakewood Police Department arrested Nicholas Ravaioli after interviewing the victims and charged Ravaioli with Luring and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. At that time, Ocean County Superior Court Judge Wendel Daniels set bail at $300,000.00 no 10%. Ravaioli has remained incarcerated in Ocean County Jail since his arrest.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC / TLS)