Accused Serial Store Robber James Paul Taormina Indicted

An alleged serial robber, who reportedly hit a , was indicted by a Gloucester County grand jury this week on eight charges related to a pair of convenience store robberies in West Deptford in February.

James Paul Taormina, 30, of Maple Shade, was indicted on single counts of first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery, third-degree theft by unlawful taking and fourth-degree theft by unlawful taking, as well as two counts each of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, for the two alleged robberies on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19.

said Taormina, who has also lived in Atco and Turnersville, at the on Red Bank Avenue on Feb. 12, grabbed an unspecified amount of money and took off into the night.

A week later, , where police said he grabbed a item off the shelf, went to the counter like any other customer—then whipped out a hammer and demanded money.

Taormina took off again after that alleged robbery, police said, and escaped capture until Feb. 23, when .

The West Deptford robberies weren’t the only ones Taormina is alleged to have committed—, and has also been accused in robberies in Cherry Hill and dating back to Feb. 9, though Taormina has yet to be indicted on the Cherry Hill and Gloucester Township charges.

His alleged robbery spree spanned Feb. 10 to Feb. 19; Taormina allegedly targeted convenience stores for the most part, but .

In almost every incident, Taormina, in what became his uniform of a gray hoodie and a ballcap, allegedly robbed or attempted to rob cashiers at knifepoint.

He remains in the Gloucester County jail in default of $300,000 bail—$200,000 for the West Deptford robberies and $100,000 for the Washington Township bank robbery. Taormina requested a bail reduction in March, but and a positive identification of Taormina by a bank teller who was present at the TD Bank robbery in Washington Township.