61°
James J. Baker, 20 and James Pena, 25, both of Secaucus, were arrested on charges of armed robbery and a slew of other weapons offenses, while Jacquelin Romero, 20, of West New York, was arrested on theft, conspiracy and drug-related charges, Secaucus police said Monday.
Two people walked into the Secaucus Police Department saying they had been robbed in the backyard of a house on the 700 block of 3rd Street Saturday around 9:50 p.m., police said.
Police conducting surveillance near a suspect's 3rd Street house a few hours later saw Baker leave wearing the same clothing as one of the suspects, along with sneakers reported stolen by one of the victims, authorities said.
Baker -- also wearing a necklace belonging to one of the victims -- was found with a handgun tucked in his waistband, a switchblade knife, hatchet, marijuana and benzodiazepines pills, police said.
A search of another suspect's 3rd Street home turned up jewelry and a pair of sneakers that belonged to the robbery victims, police said, along with marijuana and a loaded handgun with "blank" ammunition.
Baker and Pena were taken to the Hudson County Jail and Romero was released, all pending their appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court.
"I want to thank the Hudson County Regional SWAT Team and Hudson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team for their assistance in this investigation,” Chief Dennis Miller said. “I also want to commend the collaborative effort between the different divisions and units within the Secaucus Police Department, which directly led to these arrests within hours of the initial report."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hudson and receive free news updates.
