On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at approximately midnight, the Egg Harbor Township Police Department made an arrest in the home invasion robbery in Tower East Mobile Home Park that was reported earlier in the day.
Police arrested the 25-year-old suspect around Midnight Tuesday. The suspect, who remains unnamed, has been charged with aggravated assault, robbery, weapons offenses, theft and burglary. Bail was set at $350,000.
91-year-old Charles Sweetman lives alone in a mobile home in Towers East.
He apparently tried to call his daughter Monday night. She couldn't reach him this morning.
"We got a call this morning from the victim's daughter, apparently he tried to contact her and wasn't having any success. She called us to go check on her father," Lt. Robert Gray of the Egg Harbor Township Police Department said.
When the police got there, they found Sweetman suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Medics treated the man then took him to AtlanticCare Regional Medical Center where he is listed in critical but stable condition with knife wounds to the neck and chest.
Whoever attacked Sweetman took off with his 2011 gray Dodge Charger.
That car was later recovered during the investigation.
Neighbors are horrified by the attack in this quiet little corner of the township.
"I don't know what the noise was, but something, made me look outside," neighbor Jean King said.
That was around 10:00 p.m. Monday night.
When King woke up Tuesday morning, she found a swarm of police vehicles surrounding her neighbor's house.
She finds it hard to believe that someone would stab and rob a 91-year-old man.
It's left her worried about her own safety.
"Something made me double-check all my locks last night when I heard that noise, I don't' know what it was. Intuition. I don't know, but I did make sure everything was locked last night before I went to bed," King said.
