Joseph Amante, 30, of Franklin Township, was the getaway driver in a pair of convenience store armed robberies in Franklin Township, prosecutor's said.
SOMERVILLE -- A Franklin Township man was sentenced to eight years in prison Friday in Somerset County Superior Court for the 2015 armed robberies of two convenience stores in Franklin Township.
Joseph I. Amante, 30, of Franklin Township (left) and Nicholas P. Zahirny, 25, of Jersey City. Somerset County Prosecutor's Office) Joseph Amante, 30, had plead guilty to first-degree armed robbery in the July 14 robberies and was sentenced before state Superior Court Judge Bradford Bury. He must served 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
Last month, his partner, Nicholas Zahirny, 25, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to first-degree armed robbery and was sentenced to 10 years. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence without parole eligibility.
Both men will be under parole supervision for five years following their release.
Amante was the getaway driver and Zahirny robbed both stores at gun point, the prosecution said.
On Thursday, July 23, 2015, at 12:25 a.m., Franklin patrolman Steve Ellmyer, a member of a Neighborhood Police Team initiative for the Hamilton Street business district, observed a gray Pontiac Grand Am in the parking lot of the 6Ten Convenience Store and Deli on Hamilton Street, the prosecution said.
Ellmyer immediately recognized it to be the "suspect vehicle" that was linked to a previous armed robbery at the 6Ten store, the prosecution said.
Police arrest suspect after foot chase
The pair, sitting in the vehicle, had been identified as "persons of interest" in armed robberies in the township and were subsequently arrested, the prosecution said.
An investigation revealed that Amante and Zahirny were involved in an armed robbery at the D-Mart Convenience Store on July 14, 2015 at approximately 9:46 p.m., and a second armed robbery at the 6Ten Store at roughly midnight on the same day, the prosecution said. Both stores were located on Somerset Street.
Zahirny committed the robberies using a black semi-automatic airsoft gun while Amante sat in the getaway vehicle, the prosecution said.
At the time of their arrest, the duo were planning another armed robbery of the 6Ten Store, the prosecution said.
Additionally, the pair allegedly committed a burglary and theft of a Carmen Street residence in Franklin Township, the prosecution said.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.