Maryland Pair Charged In Home Invasion Robbery In Monmouth County: Prosecutor

FREEHOLD, NJ -- Two Maryland men have been arrested and charged in connection with Thursday’s armed robbery of a Neptune City apartment complex manager and his wife, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

Marvin A. Urrea, 21, and Irwin M. Maldonado-Mejia, 25, both of Riverdale, Md., are each charged with first degree armed robbery, second-degree armed burglary and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, said Charles Webster, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

A third unidentified suspect involved in this crime remains at-large, Webster said.

Neptune City police responded to a 911 call at 9:53 a.m. Thursday, after a woman called to report she and her husband had been robbed at knifepoint inside the apartment where they manage a Steiner Avenue apartment complex.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Neptune City Police Department determined that the three men were targeting the couple, Webster said. Once inside the apartment, the men bound and gagged the couple, and fled the scene after gathering up an undisclosed amount of money, he said.

The third unidentified suspect is described as a Hispanic male with brown hair, 20-25 years old, last seen wearing gray sweatpants and a tan button-down short-sleeved shirt with a tan long-sleeved shirt underneath the button down shirt, Webster said.

Anyone with any information is urged to call Detective Michael Bonanno of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, or Detective Hoover Cano of the Neptune City Police Department at 732-775-1615.

Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about this or any crime can contact the Monmouth County Crime Stoppers confidential telephone tip-line by calling 1-800-671-4400; texting "MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637; or emailing the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com. Monmouth County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of criminals and fugitives.

Urrea and Maldonado-Mejia are being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, in lieu of $500,000 bail each with no 10 percent option, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen, Webster said.

The men also were ordered to have no victim contact, no return to scene, and must surrender their passports as a condition of any release on bail, he said.

If convicted of armed robbery, the men each face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, subject to the provisions of the "No Early Release Act" (NERA) requiring them to serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. They would also be under parole supervision for five years following their release from state prison.

If convicted of armed burglary, the men each face a sentence of five to 10 years in prison, subject to the provisions of NERA. The weapons charge carries a sentence of three to five years in prison.