Newark, NJ – The U.S. Marshals Service has concluded a 3 day
enforcement initiative focusing on subjects wanted out of Essex County,
NJ for charges including homicide, weapons possession, robbery, failure
to register, and assault. Specifically, “Operation Essex Thunder”
resulted in the arrest of 34 individuals on outstanding warrants
including 9 for known gang members, and the recovery of one “ghost gun”
and ammunition.
“The continued partnership between the U.S.
Marshals Service and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has resulted
in another successful fugitive operation. This week, the combined teams
of U.S. Marshals, local, state, and task force partners were able to
successfully apprehend a myriad of violent offenders throughout Essex
County. This collaboration has again worked to make our community a
safer more nonviolent place,” said U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.
During “Operation Essex Thunder,” the District of
New Jersey and the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force once
again used its multi-jurisdictional investigative authority to partner
with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Essex County Sheriff’s
Office, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Department of Corrections
Special Operations Group, Customs and Border Protection, East Orange
Police Department, Newark Police Department, and U.S. Attorney’s Office,
to locate violent offenders from Essex County. Furthermore, medical
support was provided to each team by University Hospital Trauma units
and EMS Operations. In addition, Essex Thunder generated multiple new
leads for additional criminal activity throughout the state.
“Violent gang members have continued to
infiltrate and disrupt our communities. Operation Essex Thunder has
helped to remove some of these dangerous individuals from our streets
and produced many new leads that will likely result in future arrests,”
said Mattos.
“This operation is the result of extraordinary
cooperation by law enforcement at all levels. Working cooperatively, we
were able to get illegal weapons off the streets along with 34 fugitives
wanted for serious crimes,” said Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore
N. Stevens, II.
The concept behind interagency law enforcement
operations such as Operation Essex Thunder evolved largely from regional
and district task forces. Since the 1980s, the Marshals Service has
combined their resources and expertise with local, state, and federal
agencies to find and apprehend dangerous fugitives. “Operation Essex
Thunder” continued this tradition.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
####America’s
First Federal Law Enforcement Agency