Man pleads guilty in Pleasantville, NJ strip club assault case

PLEASANTVILLE, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to assaulting a 19-year-old outside a South Jersey gentlemen's club last year whose body was found days later.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said Irving Mayren-Guzman was assaulted by three men after bouncers escorted him out of Centerfolds Cabaret on Delilah Road in Pleasantville on Jan. 23, 2022.

His body was found two days later, on Jan. 25 around 9:30 a.m. in the marsh off Delilah Road just east of the gentlemen's club, by a volunteer from a search party.

Prosecutors said Jamaul Timberlake, 31, along with brothers Garnell and John Hands, are shown on video assaulting the teen after an altercation outside the strip club.

Timberlake pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault.

"After the entry of his guilty plea Timberlake asked to be released and the Court noted, that while it appreciates his taking responsibility for his actions, he remained a danger to the community and will continue to be held without bail pending sentence," the prosecutor's office said.

Garnell Hands, 30, and John Hands, 25, also face charges in the case.

"For the charge of Aggravated Assault, Timberlake is set to receive four years in New Jersey State Prison when he is sentenced on February 22, 2023. His plea and sentence are contingent on both Garnell Hands and John Hands also entering into guilty pleas later this month," the prosecutor's office said.

The cause of Mayren-Guzman's death was determined to be the result of hypothermia, drowning, and alcohol intoxication.