Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced charges against three teenagers from New York City, two are 18 years old, and one is 17 years old. These charges have been filed as a juvenile delinquency matter stemming from year-long armed carjacking investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Hackensack Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Antista.
On Monday, April 22, 2024, at approximately 4:26 a.m., the Hackensack Police Department responded to a carjacking that occurred on South River Street in Hackensack, NJ. Upon arrival, responding officers discovered that the victim was parked at a convenience store when a masked suspect approached, opened the driver’s side door, assaulted the victim, and attempted to forcefully remove their jewelry. A struggle ensued, and the assailant ran to an awaiting black Mercedes Benz that pulled alongside the victim’s vehicle. Initially, the Mercedes Benz drove away. However, it returned and parked behind the victim’s car, blocking the victim from exiting the parking spot. During the second confrontation, several masked suspects surrounded and threatened the victim, and successfully stole the victim’s wallet, phone, jewelry, and vehicle. The victim was able to contact the Hackensack Police Department, but the suspects escaped before officers arrived.
Accordingly, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad was notified and initiated a joint investigation with the Hackensack Police Department. Detectives established that the suspects fled the scene in both the victim’s carjacked vehicle and the black Mercedes Benz. Detectives determined that the Mercedes Benz was reported stolen in New York City several hours prior to the carjacking incident in Hackensack, NJ. After months of investigation, detectives identified the three suspects as residents of New York City, all of whom were juveniles at the time of the incident.
As a result of the investigation, in March 2025, all three suspects were charged with juvenile delinquency, specifically: first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); first-degree carjacking, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-2a(2); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1). By Wednesday, April 16, 2025, all three suspects were successfully located with the assistance of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Safe Streets Task Force and served with the charges filed by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. All three remain in the custody of New York state authorities, pending extradition to Bergen County, NJ.
Prosecutor Mark Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella thanks the Hackensack Police Department for their assistance and partnership throughout this case. Moreover, Prosecutor Musella also thanks and recognizes the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Croton-on-Hudson (NY) Police Department, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force (Westchester County), the NYPD, the Teaneck Police Department, the Westchester County (NY) District Attorney’s Office, and the Yonkers (NY) Police Department for all of their individual and collective assistance with this investigation, including the apprehension of the suspects charged in this matter.