They Pulled Guns On Kids In Edgewater, Officials Say: Now Four Are Facing Charges

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Four men have been charged including one who remains at large following a year-long investigation into an armed robbery in Edgewater, authorities said.

The investigation stems from a robbery that occurred on Thursday, June 13, 2024, around 7:50 p.m., at a commercial parking lot on River Road, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday, Aug. 1. 

Five victims, including two juveniles, had just parked when two masked men with firearms approached them, Musella said.

The suspects demanded the keys to the victim’s vehicle, patted down some of the victims, and threatened to shoot them if they didn’t comply with their demands, Musella said. One of the suspects then tried to break the rear passenger side window of the victim’s vehicle by using the grip of the handgun.

The suspects fled the scene in a getaway vehicle before police arrived. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Edgewater Police launched a joint investigation that led to the arrests.

Justin L. Acosta, 21, of Charles Town, WV, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 12, outside his former home in Guttenberg. During a court-authorized search of his vehicle, detectives found a large capacity ammunition magazine, a standard handgun magazine, and 9mm ammunition. 

Acosta was charged with first-degree armed robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit armed robbery, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, third-degree terroristic threats, and fourth-degree possession of a large capacity magazine. He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending trial.

Julio A. Perez, 24, of North Bergen, was the second identified suspect, Musella said. On Feb. 13, a search warrant was executed at his home, but he wasn’t there. He turned himself in on Feb. 18. Perez was charged with the same offenses as Acosta, excluding the large-capacity magazine charge. He remains in custody at the Bergen County Jail.

Kenny M. Vega, 23, of West New York, was arrested without incident on Monday, July 28. He faces the same charges as Perez and remains in custody pending a detention hearing in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.

Jaden A. Vazquez, 21, of Guttenberg, was also charged. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. Attempts to locate him have been unsuccessful and he remains a fugitive from justice, the prosecutor said.

Authorities say, “To date, attempts to locate and arrest Vazquez have been unsuccessful; he remains a fugitive from justice.”

Anyone with information about Vazquez's whereabouts may contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at (201) 226-5532, the prosecutor said.