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The 60-year-old victim was loading her vehicle with a companion in Bayonne's Costco lot around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Police Capt. Eric Amato said.
Two male passengers later identified as Pedro Henrique, 19, and a 17-year-old boy, both of Newark, pulled up in a maroon vehicle and tried taking her purse from a shopping cart, Amato said.
The victim and her friend quickly grabbed the purse in an attempt to regain possession of it and a struggle ensued. The two were eventually pushed away as the teens got into the vehicle to flee.
The victim reached into the suspect vehicle in another attempt to regain her purse, when the vehicle began to drive away, police said. The victim was dragged with it several feel across the pavement until she was pushed off, police said.
The vehicle then fled the scene with the victim's purse, and the victim suffered head and facial injuries, as well as scrapes and abrasions to her arms, authorities said.
A description of the suspects and the vehicle was immediately broadcast over the police radio system.
Officers were able to ping the location of the victim's phone inside of her purse using an app, which was determined to be in the area of Linden Avenue in Jersey City.
Bayonne Mayor James Davis heard the broadcast and told police he was right behind the car, near Route 185 and Lincoln Avenue. He followed the car to Communipaw Avenue and Route 440 North as he waited for Bayonne police to respond while stopped at a red traffic light.
As the light turned green, and after seeing the arrival of multiple police units, Davis got out of his vehicle in an attempt to engage the driver.
Upon observing the presence of the police, the driver of the vehicle got out and fled on foot over the center median and Route 440 south, Amato said.
Police apprehended both suspects, who were taken into custody without incident.
The victim's purse was located inside of the vehicle as well as another wallet that had been reported stolen out of Jersey City earlier in the day, authorities said.
An extensive search conducted by the Bayonne Police Department, Jersey City Police Department, and the Hudson County Sheriff's Department of the area for the driver that had fled was met with negative results.
Officers were also able to locate a retrieve the victim's cellphone in the area of Linden Avenue where it was tossed out by the men as they fled, police said. A cellphone belonging to one of the men was also recovered from the Costco parking lot.
Henrique and the teen were charged with robbery and endangering an injured person.
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