A man and woman were arrested on Monday and charged in the violent robbery of an elderly woman that left her with a broken hip, broken arm and separated shoulder.
Joshua McFarland, 36, of Millville and Misty Riddle, 32, of Vineland are both charged with robbery and aggravated assault.
On August 20 around 8:25 p.m., a 75-year-old woman and her friend were walking along the sidewalk at the Promenade Shopping Center in Evesham. As they continued walking, a man allegedly began to walk beside them and then violently grabbed the victim’s purse.
The elderly victim, who still had the strap of her bag around her shoulder, fell to the ground and then was dragged along the concrete by the suspect, investigators said.
The victim was rushed to the Trauma Center at Cooper University Hospital, where she still remains hospitalized nearly three weeks later.
Along with the broken bones and internal bleeding, she also suffered facial lacerations, according to authorities.
The attacker got away with the contents of her purse, said police.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
As the mugger stole the victim’s purse, two other men allegedly remained in a getaway car, while a fourth suspect tried to distract security guards in the area by engaging them in conversation, according to detectives.
Witnesses at the scene told investigators the four suspects were smoking near the Clark’s Footwear store before the crime occurred.
Police say the break in the case occurred last Friday when investigators came across a similar crime while searching the Internet for leads. The detectives found information on a duo arrested by the Hamilton Township Police Department for a burglary that was similar to the Promenade incident. On Monday police say they linked the pair, who they identified as McFarland and Riddle, to the Evesham robbery.
Both McFarland and Riddle were lodged in the Atlantic County Jail each on $250,000 bail.
