Armed Fugitive Who Robbed NJ Mother At Daycare Drop Off Caught By US Marshals, Police Say

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A man accused of robbing a mother at gunpoint in a preschool parking lot in December has been found and arrested by authorities, South Brunswick Police said.

Nathan E. Simpson, 45, was returned to New Jersey on May 5 after he was tracked to a Virginia location by the U.S. Marshal Service, Fugitive Unit of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and South Brunswick detectives.

His arrest follows an incident on Dec. 1, 2025, where police said he robbed a mother who was dropping off her child at a daycare along Route 27.

According to police, Simpson brandished a black handgun, pointed it at the woman’s head, and made a series of terroristic threats.

He then forcibly took the cell phone from the woman’s hand and fled the scene, police said.

Simpson has been charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, third-degree endangering the welfare of another person, third-degree terroristic threats, third-degree criminal restraint, third-degree theft and simple assault, police said.

Following his arrest, Simpson was lodged at the Middlesex County Correction Center.

South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka praised the cooperation of law enforcement and the public in Simpson’s arrest.

"It took a coordinated effort and the public's help to capture this suspect,” Chief Hayducka said. “I want to thank the Middlesex Prosecutor and United States Marshal for their assistance.”

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