On September 22, Jonathan Thomas, a four-year standout at catcher, designated hitter, and left fielder for the New Jersey City University baseball team, signed a professional free agent contract with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.

Thomas, a May 2005 graduate of the University, made his debut for the Bears on September 24 in an 8-7 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers in Lancaster, PA. In his debut, he went 3-for-4 with two RBI, a runs scored and a stolen base. He reached base safely in four of his five plate appearances.

In his two games with the Bears, Thomas batted .571 with three RBI, two steals, a .667 on-base percentage and a .571 slugging percentage.

Thomas was the first NJCU player to sign a deal with a major league baseball club since Matt Baker was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1984.

Thomas began his professional career on June 24, 2004 when he signed a professional free agent minor league baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals. That summer, he saw limited action with the Arizona Royals-1 club in the eight-team Arizona Rookie League, collecting one professional hit in roughly a dozen at bats. After hitting over .300 in spring training, he was released by the organization, and had been seeking a new club, before the Bears inked him to a brief deal.

Thomas, a two-year team co-captain who began his career at NJCU as a walk-on in 2000, was named Second-Team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference in 2004 for the second time in his career, after also earning All-NJAC Second-Team accolades in 2002 as a sophomore. He was also named to the 2004 Division II/III Second-Team All-State team by the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association.