Bridgeton Wawa assault leaves two women covered in sugar

A morning argument at Bridgeton’s Wawa turned violent when police say a Vineland man poured sugar on two women, then struck them with the container.

Bridgeton police identified the suspect as Anthony Debartolomeis, 46, of Vineland. In an arrest release dated April 24, officers said they were called to 101 E. Broad Street, the Wawa on Bridgeton’s main commercial stretch, at about 8:53 a.m. for a fight. Police said Debartolomeis pushed past another employee and struck a 55-year-old Wawa worker with a container he grabbed from a shelf. The release also says he poured sugar on a 41-year-old Bridgeton customer before officers moved in. No injuries were reported.

Debartolomeis was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and simple assault, then lodged at the Cumberland County Jail. The case adds another public-safety complaint to a store that stays open 24 hours and sees a steady flow of early-morning customers, workers and drivers moving through Bridgeton’s east side. In a place built for quick stops, a dispute that might have ended in a verbal exchange instead became an arrest report and a criminal case.

The same Wawa, store #8442 at 101 E. Broad St., has surfaced in Bridgeton police records before, including a 2025 shoplifting call and a separate police-related arrest. That pattern matters because repeated calls at a high-traffic convenience store can affect more than just the people involved in one incident. Employees must keep serving customers while also managing confrontations, and nearby residents see the burden when officers are pulled back to the same address again and again.

For Bridgeton and Vineland families, the episode is a reminder of how fast a routine stop can turn into a safety issue in a busy retail corridor. De-escalation is often the difference between an argument and an assault: step away, involve store staff, and let police handle the conflict before an object on the shelf becomes a weapon. In this case, two women walked away covered in sugar, while Debartolomeis faced felony charges tied to a fight that disrupted a normal morning in the heart of the city.