Arrest Made In Gunpoint Robbery Of Facebook Marketplace Buyer

An armed North Jersey man and an accomplice robbed a victim they'd met through Facebook Marketplace of the cash that he'd been carrying for rent, his child's daycare and payment for cellphones that he thought they were selling him, Clifton police said.

Jerry DeMarco

06/06/2022 10:20 a.m.

The 30-year-old victim from New York City told police that he'd gone to the area of Sanford Street and Clifton Boulevard expecting to buy the phones on May 28, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said.

He was robbed at gunpoint instead.

The man said he handed over the money to the pair, who fled, Bracken said, adding that he wasn't injured.

Detectives subsequently identified and arrested Yormani Cruz, 20, on armed robbery and weapons possession charges, the lieutenant said. He was then sent to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson.

Bracken, meanwhile, urged buyers and sellers who connect online to meet in a busy public area -- preferably a police station.

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