Police: Man robbing 2 prostitutes at knifepoint in Secaucus leads to a total of 9 arrests

A man robbing two prostitutes at knifepoint at a Secaucus hotel led to nine total arrests last week, Police Chief Dennis Miller announced.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

On October 25th at about 2:05 a.m., Secaucus police responded to the La Quinta Inn, located at 350 Lighting Way, on a report of a noise complaint and individuals causing a disturbance, Miller said in a statement.

Mario Calvache, 32, of Newark, was charged with armed robbery, strong-armed robbery, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (knife), unlawful possession of a knife, engaging in prostitution, aggravated assault, and two counts of assault for stealing the two women’s cell phones while wielding a knife.

Calvache was issued his complaint warrant and was subsequently transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, authorities said.

Over the next five hours or so, seven other people were facing prostitution charges.

Laura Bermudez Murcia, 26, of Secaucus, was arrested for engaging in prostitution, drug possession and money laundering at about 6:38 p.m.

Idalmis Diazdiaz, 40, of Secaucus, was charged with engaging in prostitution and promoting prostitution, while Jose Carballosa, 42, also of Secaucus, was also accused of promoting prostitution approximately 20 minutes later.

Maximina Martinez, 36, of Secaucus, with engaging in prostitution and money laundering at around 7:49 p.m., with Yakayra Jimenez Guzman, 25, of Union City, charged with engaging in prostitution at around 9:14 p.m.

Furthermore, Lucia Ubierasosa, 39, of Secaucus, was charged with prostitution and money laundering at about 10:28 p.m., with the last arrest of the day being Kellee Chhun, 31, of Lowell, Massachusetts at roughly 11:16 p.m.

She is accused of engaging in prostitution and promoting prostitution.

Then, on October 27th at 5:42 p.m., Secaucus police observed a suspicious vehicle parked in the parking lot of the Extended Stay Hotel, located at 1 Meadowlands Parkway.

Ravi Verma, 44, of Jersey City, ended up being arrested on a prostitution charge.

“We are specifically targeting prostitution because of the additional crime it brings to our hotels e.g. drug dealing, robberies and sexual assaults,” Miller told HCV in an email.

“The day before the Anti-Crime Unit conducted this operation, a prostitute was robbed at knifepoint … The Secaucus Police Department will continue these efforts to ensure the safety of the transient community who stay at our hotels.”