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BRICK, N.J. — A Brooklyn man has pleaded guilty to robbery charges stemming from a violent 2023 home invasion in Ocean County, authorities announced.

Vongvichit Vatthanavong, 50, admitted to his role in the January 5, 2023, robbery during a hearing before Judge Kenneth T. Palmer in Ocean County Superior Court on May 23. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated that prosecutors will seek a 12.5-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison under the No Early Release Act when Vatthanavong is sentenced on July 18.

The robbery occurred around 12:20 a.m. outside a home on Pershing Avenue in Brick Township. According to investigators, the victim had just exited his vehicle and was heading into his residence when he was confronted by three masked individuals, one of whom appeared to

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