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32-year-old Joel Llanes, 30-year-old Israel Ruiz and 25-year-old Louis Ramirez were charged with robbery, home invasion and kidnapping, in a case that involved Homeland Security, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.
At 4:36 a.m., officers responded to Lougheed Avenue on a report of a home invasion, West Caldwell police said.
The resident of the home was awakened by the sound of forced entry through a rear sliding glass door, police said. Upon investigating the noise, the homeowner was confronted by three individuals armed with firearms on the first floor, police said. The suspects bound the homeowner’s wrists and ankles with tape and held him at gunpoint while ransacking the residence, police said.
During the robbery, the suspects stole a number of collectibles and cash before fleeing the scene in the homeowner’s 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, police said. The stolen vehicle was located later in New Brunswick after it crashed, police said. The vehicle was found unoccupied, police said.
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