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He ended up making it easy for police to bag him and his pals after they’d eluded a police dragnet more than three hours earlier, Paramus Chief Robert Guidetti said.
Officers Matt Mulick and Joe Mastrofilipo had been flagged down by Nordstrom security after five people stole nearly 100 items from the Garden State Plaza store around 7:45 p.m. last Friday, Dec. 1, the chief said.
Officers immediately seized Mariangi M. Araguache Medina, 25, he said.
Her four confederates momentarily avoided capture.
Medina had already been sent to the Bergen County Jail when Angel D. Brito-Sifontes showed up at Paramus Police Headquarters to ask about her around 11 p.m. Guidetti said.
He'd removed some of his clothing in a failed attempt to disguise his appearance, the chief said.
Brito-Sifontes wasn’t fooling Detective Nick Luciano, who recognized him from Nodstrom’s surveillance video, Guidetti said.
It made sense to check the area while this was happening. Sure enough, Officer Vincent Labarbiera found the three other suspects – and the stolen merchandise -- in a Toyota Forerunner parked in a hidden area near headquarters, the chief said.
A computer check showed the SUV had been stolen in the Bronx this past January, he said.
Guidetti identified the others as Richard J. Martinez, 32, Ingrid Romero-Ordas, 38, and Jean Gonzaez-Gonzalez, 32.
The five defendants -- all Venezuelan nationals living in midtown Manhattan – were sent to the Bergen County Jail. They’re charged with various shoplifting offenses, as well as with possession of burglary tools.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately took custody of Gonzalez-Gonzalez after questions of his residency status were raised.
An immigration judge will hold a hearing in federal court in Newark to determine whether Gonzalez-Gonzalez is legally residing in the United States or should be deported.
“The National Retail Federation recently reported that retailers have lost $112 billion due to a wave of organized retail theft rings,” Guidetti said. “In Paramus we've been experiencing an average of 60 shoplifting incidents a month since September.”
ALSO SEE: Fugitive Tied To Retail Theft Ring That Hit Liquor Store Captured By Glen Rock PD
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