Absecon, NJ, Man Gets 60 Years in Prison For Armed Home Invasion

A 46-year-old man from Absecon will likely never walk the streets again after being sentenced to six decades in prison for an armed home invasion in 2020.

On Tuesday, 46-year-old Michael Hayes was sentenced to 60 years behind bars subject to the No Early Release Act, which means he must serve 85% of his term, or 51 years, before becoming eligible for parole.

Back on June 6th, a jury in Atlantic County convicted Hayes of the following charges:

• First-degree robbery
• First-degree unlawful possession of a handgun by a person with a prior NERA conviction
• Second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery
• Second-degree burglary
• Second-degree conspiracy to commit burglary
• Second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault
• Second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun
• Second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose
• Second-degree certain persons not to possess firearms
• Third-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
• Third-degree criminal restraint
• Third-degree terroristic threats
• Third-degree theft
• Third-degree conspiracy to commit theft
• Fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm at another

The Court determined that Hayes should be sentenced as a persistent offender to an extended term in prison on the first-degree Robbery conviction. He was sentenced to current terms on the remaining charges.

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Timeline

On September 15th, 2020, Hayes conspired with an unknown accomplice to rob a victim, identified only as "S.B."

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office says Hayes and his partner waited outside S.B.'s house in Buena Borough with masks on and confronted him at gunpoint as S.B. left to go to work that morning.

They duct-taped him and forced him back inside his house and into his bedroom. The jury found that Hayes held the victim at gunpoint in his room, threatening to shoot him in the head. S.B. was robbed of approximately $1,000.00 cash and a necklace. As this was occurring, the unknown accomplice walked down the hall and pointed a gun at S.B.’s father and told him and his wife to stay quiet. S.B. was able to break free from the duct-tape and attempted to escape down the stairs.

The jury found that Hayes told his accomplice to shoot S.B., and the accomplice obliged, firing one shot that grazed the victim’s head.

S.B. was able to make it safely across the street to his neighbor’s house where he called 9-1-1; Hayes and his accomplice fled the scene.

Authorities said the case was cracked when Hayes' fingerprint was located on the discarded duct tape at the crime scene.