Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced that on May 24, 2024, ZEF HAJDARI, 27, of Edgewater, NJ, pled guilty to the June 16, 2022, attempted armed robbery of a Teaneck resident. HAJDARI is the first co-defendant to plead guilty in this multi-defendant case. Specifically, HAJDARI pled guilty to first-degree robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a. The State will recommend a sentence of six years in New Jersey State Prison. Sentencing is scheduled for September 13, 2024.
On Thursday, June 16, 2022, officers from the Teaneck Police Department responded to an attempted armed robbery. Responding officers discovered that the victim arrived at his residence, exited his vehicle, and was approached by a suspect who pointed a firearm at him while attempting to rob him of his belongings. The victim was able to flee, at which point the armed suspect, along with an additional suspect who was hiding near the residence, escaped in a waiting vehicle that was operated by a third suspect.
Accordingly, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad was notified and initiated an investigation. During the course of the investigation, detectives determined that the victim was tracked using a global positioning (GPS) device, which was planted on the victim’s vehicle. Detectives subsequently identified the getaway car used during the robbery attempt, as well as two of the three suspects involved.
As a result of the investigation, on February 2, 2023, ZEF HAJDARI and JEREMY CHICO were charged each with one count of first degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); one count of second degree conspiracy to commit armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2A(1); one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); and one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1).
On the same date, February 2, 2023, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad, along with members of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Police Department, located and apprehended ZEF HAJDARI at John F. Kennedy airport in Queens, New York.
The next day, on February 3, 2023, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad, the Teaneck Police Department, and the New York City Police Department located and apprehended JEREMY CHICO in the Bronx, New York. CHICO was placed into the custody of the New York City Department of Corrections – Rikers Island Facility, where he currently remains pending extradition to Bergen County, New Jersey upon resolution of an incomplete and unrelated criminal case in New York state that is still underway. The investigation into the June 16, 2022, attempted armed robbery and the third suspect in this case remains active.
During the prosecution phase of this matter involving ZEF HAJDARI, the State of New Jersey was represented by Bergen County Assistant Prosecutor Justin Blasi, with assistance from Acting Sergeant Walter Kumka of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad. The defendant, ZEF HAJDARI, was represented by Brian J. Neary, Esq.
Prosecutor Musella thanks Assistant Prosecutor Blasi for his zealous advocacy for the victim and for helping to combat violent crime in Bergen County. Prosecutor Musella also thanks the Teaneck Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Police Department, and the New York City Police Department for their assistance in the apprehension of ZEF HAJDARI. Further, Prosecutor Musella commends the detectives of the Special Investigations Squad, as well as members of the Teaneck Police Department, for their skill and professionalism in investigating this incident.