The Verona Police Department has arrested an East Orange juvenile in connection with the September 24 carjacking on Floyd Road.
The VPD’s Detective Bureau executed a search warrant on an East Orange address earlier today and a 16-year-old male was taken into custody. He is now charged with carjacking, assault, burglary, theft and receiving stolen property, as well as a conspiracy charge. After processing in Verona, the suspect was remanded to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center in Newark.
“This was tireless and exceptional police work by the Detective Bureau,” said Chief Christopher Kiernan, “in particular, lead Detective Robert Maguire, who had been running down leads within 20 minutes of the event. Detective Maguire established a person of interest within hours, and his persistent investigation led to the arrest of this dangerous juvenile.”
“It was outstanding work by all the officers involved that day,” Kiernan added. “There was the priority of rendering first aid to our victim, then scene preservation, while other officers located the vehicle within seconds of the original call prior to it recklessly fleeing out of town. We hope this arrest offers some closure to the victim, who is a very, very strong person.”
Kiernan said that the investigation into the incident remains active and ongoing. The charges laid out here are accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
An October 3 burglary on Cambridge Road remains under investigation. The two high-profile crimes have had some residents wondering whether Verona is in the midst of a crime wave, but VPD statistics indicate that major crime in 2023 is lower than 2022 for all but one category.
