A New York man recently pleaded guilty in federal court to charges stemming from an armed robbery in Hawthorne NJ and a carjacking in Paterson NJ.
The suspect is a 22-year-old resident of New City, NY. He was reportedly the person behind the wheel of the getaway car used by a group of men who held up RD Benders Tavern, a bar in Hawthorne NJ, on Christmas Day 2015.
The men allegedly robbed the Hawthorne tavern by using a gun to force an employee to hand over approximately $200 in cash. The robbers also reportedly stole the victim s cell phone and charger. They then allegedly fled the scene in the suspect s motor vehicle.
One day later, three of the robbers allegedly committed a carjacking of a taxi driver in Paterson NJ. According to police, the men kidnapped the cabbie and violently assaulted him. It is not believed that the NY suspect was involved in the Paterson carjacking.
Now that the NY suspect has pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to commit robbery charges, he could potentially be sentenced to 20 years in a federal penitentiary. He will have to appear in U.S. District Court in Newark on August 2 so that he can be formally sentenced in the federal case.
For further information about this case, access the NJ.com article, “Getaway Driver Pleads Guilty in 2015 Christmas Day Bar Robbery.”
