Franklin Lakes man pleads guilty to stalking in connection with Holmdel home invasion

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FREEHOLD, N.J. — The Monmouth County District Attorney’s Office announced that a Bergen County man admitted to stalking two victims as part of a case tied to a violent 2017 home invasion in Holmdel. Thomas F. Manzo, 59, pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree harassment in Monmouth County Superior Court on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

The plea agreement includes a three-year sentence in a New Jersey State prison, concurrent with the seven-year federal prison sentence Manzo is currently serving for a violent attack in aid of racketeering in 2015 that involved one of the same victims.

The investigation began in May 2017 when Holmdel police responded to a 911 call from a townhouse on Banyan Boulevard; where the two victims were attacked and restrained with zip ties by intruders who stole the engagement ring and $500 in cash. The victims managed to free themselves and contact authorities. DNA evidence recovered from the crime scene eventually led to the arrest of co-defendant James Mainello in May 2019.

Further investigation revealed Manzo’s involvement in stalking the victims between 2015 and 2019 and his awareness of the robbery and assault committed by Mainello and an unidentified accomplice.

Mainello pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit first-degree armed robbery in May 2023, with a stipulation of the plea requiring Manzo to also plead guilty to the charges. Mainello faces up to seven years in state prison under the New Jersey No Early Release Act, which requires 85 percent of the sentence to be served before parole.

Both Manzo and Mainello are scheduled to be sentenced on December 13, 2024, before Judge Joseph W. Oxley.