Minotola Man Gets Prison for Assault on Officer, Hit-and-run Crash

Buena Borough, N.J. — An Atlantic County man is headed to prison in connection with an attempted e-bike theft investigation and a separate hit-and-run case.

Back in May, 37-year-old Jeffery Phillips of Minotola pleaded guilty to fourth-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and third-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident and was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison on the assault charge, concurrent to a three-year term for leaving the scene.

Attempted E-bike Theft in Hammonton

According to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, on August 7th of last year, the Hammonton Police Department responded to an area near the train station for reports of a man who was attempting to steal an e-bike.

That man, identified as Phillips, was standing near the e-bike when police arrived. Phillips noticed the officers and began walking away, eventually running from officers.

During his apprehension, officials said Phillips spat on and injured at least one of the responding officers.

Buena Vista Township Crash

Then, on September 30th, state troopers responded to reports of an accident in Buena Vista Township in the area of Route 40 and Tuckahoe Road. While at the scene conducting an investigation, they were approached by Phillips, who admitted that he was the driver of the vehicle and had fled the scene of the crash before returning.

Chris Coleman is a South Jersey native and has been a cornerstone of the Atlantic City radio market since 1998. He serves as Brand Manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 and afternoon on-air personality for Cat Country 107.3. A five-time President's Circle award winner and Townsquare Media's 2024 Content Creator of the Year, Chris covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com