UPDATE: Victims Hospitalized, Face Charges After Stabbing By 17-Year-old

Two men face robbery charges after police said they were stabbed by a 17-year-old.

Police responded to Lexington Blvd at 7:15pm last night on a report of a stabbing. The confrontation took place near the Village Drive basketball courts.

When officers arrived, they found Barnegat First Aid Squad members treating Sean Ruiz, 20, Little Egg Harbor, for two stabs wounds in the back, police said.

Police were also notified by Southern Ocean Medical Center that there was a 16- year-old male Barnegat resident being treated at their facility for a stab wound. Police determined that the juvenile was stabbed during the same confrontation where Ruiz was involved.

Officers secured both crime scenes, recovered several pieces of evidence and spoke with victims and witnesses. They identified a 17-year-old male from Barnegat as the the stabbing suspect and took him into custody at 10:35 p.m., police said.

Officers determined that Ruiz, the 16-year-old stabbing victim, and an uninjured 16-year-old Barnegat male had all confronted the stabbing suspect on Village Drive near the basketball courts and robbed him, police said

The 17-year-old stabbing suspect/robbery victim pulled out a knife and stabbed Ruiz and the other juvenile. The suspect then fled the scene. Ruiz and the two juveniles fled to Lexington Boulevard, police said.

Ruiz was transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center where he was airlifted by MONOC medevac helicopter to Atlantic City Medical Center. He was charged with second-degree robbery and is under guard by Barnegat officers at the hospital. He is listed in stable condition. His bail has been set at $40,000, said police.

The 16-year-old stabbing victim was treated at Southern Ocean Medical Center and was then taken into custody and charged with second degree robbery. The uninjured 16-year-old was arrested and also charged with second-degree robbery. Both juveniles were lodged in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center in Toms River, police said.

The stabbing suspect/robbery victim was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He was released to a guardian pending a juvenile court hearing. The knife was recovered from his residence by police.

Barnegat Police Sergeant Jason Carroll was the incident commander for the event. Detective William Hetrick assisted with the investigation. The crime scenes were processed by the Ocean County Sheriff's Department Criminal Investigation Unit.