Ramsey cellphone theft has familiar ring
Ramsey – Police are searching for an assailant who robbed a man at gunpoint on Nov. 1 and may be connected to a rash of robberies that occurred over the summer.
In the Nov. 1 incident, a man was talking on his cellphone around 9:25 p.m. near Orchard Place and Summit Avenue, according to authorities. The actor pulled alongside in a Honda or Toyota type vehicle with a loud muffler and asked the person for directions. Police said the individual began to run, but the actor – brandishing a black handgun – attacked him in front of a Summit Avenue home, stealing an iPhone and prescription medication.
The victim, who police did not name, suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.
Police Chief Bryan Gurney described the actor as dark-skinned, tall, skinny, with dread-locks and wearing a cabbie cap and having a heavy Spanish accent. The circumstances of the robbery – and description of the suspect – fit the pattern of previous cellphone robberies during the summer.
Three other incidents have occurred since late July, all transpiring around the same time of day and involving people who were using cellphones and tablets.
The first involved a woman whose cellphone was stolen by two men while she was walking near Island Avenue and Washington Drive around 11 p.m. July 25. The men fled in a dark-colored sedan.
A week later, two men stole a tablet from a resident parked in his driveway on East Crescent Avenue at 11 p.m. Police said the men brandished a firearm and struck the victim several times in the face and head before fleeing.
The third incident, on Aug. 11, involved two juveniles walking on Hart Street with cellphones in hand. Three actors approached in a dark-colored, four-door sedan between 11 and 11:30 p.m., according to police. The juveniles fled as the actors exited their vehicle, and no thefts occurred.
Gurney said the department is "working on several leads" in its ongoing investigation. The belief is that the crimes were committed by the same group of suspects.
The Ramsey Police Department is urging the public not to use cellphones outwardly on the streets after dark. If anyone has any information on this crime, contact the Ramsey Police Department at 201-327-2400.
E-mail: nobile@northjersey.com
