Three men has been arrested for stealing $350 in armed robbery at a Secaucus Dunkin’ Donuts that occurred in the early morning hours of Easter, Police Chief Dennis Miller said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
On Sunday, April 9th, at approximately 2:56 a.m., the Secaucus police responded to the Dunkin’ Donuts, located at 216 County Ave., on a report of an armed robbery, Police Chief Dennis Miller said.
Two men, later identified as Ocean Roberts and Yanik Pendleton, entered the establishment and Roberts brandished a black handgun.
While holding the store employee at gunpoint, they stole approximately $350 in cash from the register and fled to an awaiting Chevrolet Equinox. Wilmer Arias-Dejesus and another man acted as “lookouts” while Pendleton and Roberts were inside the store.
Then, at about 5:41 a.m. on the same, the same individuals were involved in another armed robbery of a Dunkin’ Donuts, located at 177 Washington Ave, in Nutley.
Detectives from the Secaucus Police Anti-Crime Unit worked collaboratively with Nutley Police detectives and broadcasted the information gathered to all law enforcement agencies in the State.
On April 11th, at roughly 12:15 a.m., a police officer from the Springfield Police Department located the Chevrolet Equinox in a parking lot near a Wawa in that jurisdiction.
After an on-scene investigation was conducted by the Springfield Police Department, officers located a black 9mm handgun with a defaced serial number and 17-round magazine inside the car.
Roberts was placed under arrest for unlawfully possessing the handgun.
After a thorough investigation was conducted by detectives from the Secaucus Police Anti-Crime Unit and Nutley Police Department, with assistance from the Springfield Police Department, arrests were made in the armed robberies.
“Since criminals operate with no jurisdictional boundaries, as is evident in this case, the only way law enforcement can succeed is to share information and work collaboratively,” noted Miller.
“I want to commend the keen eye of the Springfield Police Officer who utilized shared intelligence to make an arrest and start the momentum in solving these armed robberies. I also want to commend all of the detectives involved from the Secaucus and Nutley Police Departments in bringing this robbery crew to a screeching halt, it is amazing what can be accomplished when law enforcement joins forces and works together.”
All three men were charged with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Roberts, 19, of Bayonne, was additionally charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a defaced firearm, possession of a high-capacity magazine, aggravated assault, criminal restraint, and endangering the welfare of a child.
He is currently being held in the Essex County Jail, while Pendleton, 22, also of Bayonne, and Arias-Dejesus, 19, of East Newark, are detained at the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests may follow.
Anyone with additional information can contact the Secaucus Police Detective Division at (201) 330-2052 or detectivedivsion@secaucusnjpolice.gov.
