4 Charged with Robbery & Assault in Bergen County New Jersey

James Batelli, the Chief of Police in Mahwah New Jersey has announced that they have charged four Union County residents with robbery. The charges stem from an incident almost a year ago, where a courier was brutal assaulted while attempting to drop off a large sum of cash from several gas stations owned by ADDP Enterprises. According to the reports, the victim was assaulted by two individuals who continued to punch the victim until he reluctantly released the bag of money.

Through their investigation, the Mahwah detectives were able to recover surveillance footage from the incident. The footage allegedly shows the four suspects driving into the parking lot where the robbery occurred just prior to the victim arriving. The two suspects are then alleged to have hidden in a second floor bathroom waiting for the victim to arrive with the cash. However, the surveillance footage was not clear enough for them to make a positive id of the suspects. The detectives then reached out to the FBI for their assistance in helping uncover who orchestrated this robbery. As a result of their investigation, they were able to make several arrests, including: Julian Pena-Santana, a twenty-three year old male, who is accused of participating in the actual assault on the victim. He is currently being held in the Bergen County Jail on robbery, aggravated assault and theft charges. His bail has been set at $300,000. Alexander Bergen, a 34 year old male has been pinpointed as the getaway driver. However, he is also being charged conspiracy to commit robbery and theft. Luis Bernabel a twenty-three year old male is also alleged to have participated in the assault of the victim , therefore, he as well has been charged with robbery, aggravated assault and theft. 

Robbery is a very serious offense in New Jersey. Based on the facts of the case, the defendants will most likely be charged with robbery in the second degree. If convicted on the robbery charges alone, the defendants could be sentenced up to ten (10) years in a New Jersey State Prison. To make matters worse, robbery is subject to the No Early Release Act (N.E.R.A.), which would require the any one convicted of said offense to serve at least 85% of their sentence before they could become eligible for parole.

The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall is an experienced Bergen County Robbery defense firm. We have over 100 years of combined experience on staff, including over twenty-five years of prior prosecuting experience. If you have been charged with marijuana distribution, carjacking, burglary, cocaine possession or driving while intoxicated, we can help. Please feel free to contact any one of our Bergen County Offices for a consultation with any one of our eight attorneys on staff.