John A. Coles faces a recommended three-year state prison sentence following a December domestic violence incident
ATLANTIC CITY — A Pleasantville man has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after prosecutors said he wielded a box cutter during a domestic violence incident on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
John A. Coles, 48, of Pleasantville, pleaded guilty Thursday to third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon before Superior Court Judge Daniel Kurkowski, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of three years in New Jersey State Prison.
The charge stems from an incident during the early morning hours of Dec. 18, 2025, when Atlantic City police officers were dispatched to the Boardwalk for a report of a physical domestic dispute.
According to prosecutors, officers spoke with a woman who reported that she had been assaulted by Coles, whom she identified as her boyfriend.
Authorities said the encounter began as a verbal argument before escalating.
The woman told police that after she attempted to distance herself from Coles, he struck and grabbed her and placed a hand over her mouth, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
She was eventually able to get away and grabbed a nearby screwdriver to defend herself, prosecutors said.
Coles then armed himself with a box cutter and attempted to slash the woman, according to authorities. Prosecutors said he did not succeed in cutting her.
During Thursday's plea hearing, Coles admitted that he wielded the box cutter and attempted to use it to injure the victim, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Coles is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 10.
The charges and circumstances described in this story are based on information released by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Coles has pleaded guilty but has not yet been sentenced.
