TOMS RIVER — A Berkeley Township man has been sentenced to a decade in state prison after pleading guilty to an armed robbery and a separate aggravated assault, authorities said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Shakim Varick, 23, received a 10-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison for a robbery stemming from a January 13, 2025 incident in Berkeley Township. The sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act, requiring him to serve at least 85% of the term before becoming eligible for parole.
Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer also sentenced Varick to 18 months in prison, with an 18-month period of parole ineligibility, for an unrelated aggravated assault that occurred on May 30, 2024. The sentences will run concurrently.
Varick pleaded guilty to both charges on February 20.
According to authorities, Berkeley Township police responded to the Eastern Soccer Complex in January 2025 after a reported armed robbery. Investigators said the victim had arranged to meet someone for a business transaction when the suspect allegedly displayed a handgun, demanded more money, and threatened serious harm. The victim fled and contacted police.
Detectives later identified Varick as the suspect, and he was arrested the same day at his residence. He has remained in custody at the Ocean County Jail since that time.
In the earlier case, officers were called to basketball courts on Third Avenue in the Manitou Park section of Berkeley Township around 10 p.m. on May 30, 2024, for a report of an assault involving a firearm. Authorities said Varick approached a victim and pointed a handgun at him.
He was taken into custody on June 17, 2024, in South Toms River and charged by summons in connection with that incident.
Billhimer credited Assistant Prosecutor Genna Moscato, along with multiple law enforcement agencies including Berkeley Township and South Toms River police, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad, Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, and Regional SWAT Team, for their roles in the investigation.
