Prosecutors say six men carried out a violent armed robbery at an Edgewater business, while two of the suspects are separately accused of sexually assaulting victims at gunpoint and knifepoint.
EDGEWATER, N.J. — Six men have been charged in a violent attack at an Edgewater business where victims were bound, beaten and robbed at gunpoint and knifepoint, with two of the defendants also accused of sexually assaulting victims during the ordeal.
The attack happened around 3:30 a.m. June 24 inside a business on Old River Road, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors identified the defendants as Yorwin Jesus Dudamel Gil, 24; Jeider Jose Gonzalez Luchon, 25; Carlos Osorio Rondon, 22; Lisandro Ramirez Acosta, 26; Jhon Dervis Simancas Melean, 30; and Jose A. Uzcategui Pacheco, 24.
All six face multiple armed robbery and weapons charges. Gonzalez Luchon and Simancas Melean additionally face first-degree aggravated sexual assault charges.
Victims Bound With Tape And Charging Cables
Investigators said the group entered the business with at least two firearms and then grabbed two knives from a kitchen.
The victims were ordered into the kitchen before their arms and legs were restrained with tape and electronic charging cables, prosecutors said. One victim was repeatedly struck in the head with a handgun. Another was repeatedly assaulted by multiple suspects.
Two victims were then sexually assaulted at gunpoint and knifepoint, according to prosecutors.
The suspects allegedly stole cash, cellphones, identification and credit cards before fleeing.
The case became the subject of a weeks-long nationwide investigation involving the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad and Edgewater police.
Prosecutors Link At Least One Suspect To Anti-Tren
Investigators said the robbery involved at least one member of Anti-Tren, described by prosecutors as a splinter faction of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua.
Authorities ultimately tracked suspects to several states, including Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and New York.
Gonzalez Luchon and Uzcategui Pacheco were located in Chicago in July. Prosecutors said investigators executing a search warrant at Gonzalez Luchon’s residence also recovered an unserialized handgun.
Dudamel Gil was arrested in Chanhassen, Minnesota, while other suspects were already in custody in other states on unrelated matters.
The defendants were subsequently extradited to New Jersey as the investigation continued.
Immigration Status Requires Separate Federal Process
The case comes amid a broader political debate over New Jersey’s restrictions on cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal civil immigration enforcement.
New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive limits when state and local law-enforcement agencies may assist federal immigration authorities with civil immigration enforcement. It does not prevent police from arresting or prosecuting people accused of state crimes, and the six defendants in this case were arrested and charged through the state criminal justice system.
Any federal immigration detention or removal proceedings would be separate from the pending New Jersey criminal cases.
All Six Face Serious State Charges
The allegations are among the most serious violent-crime cases filed recently in Bergen County. All six defendants face six counts of first-degree armed robbery along with weapons offenses.
Gonzalez Luchon faces eight counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, while Simancas Melean faces four counts, according to prosecutors.
The state alleges the sexual assaults occurred during the robbery while victims were being threatened with guns and knives.
The defendants have been brought to New Jersey to face prosecution in Superior Court.