2 Arrested In Roadside Armed Robbery In Somerset County

FRANKLIN, NJ — A man and a juvenile were both charged in connection with an armed roadside robbery in Franklin last week, said authorities.

Oscar Juarez-Perfecto, 18, of Phillips Road, Franklin Township, and a Middlesex County 17-year-old boy were both charged in the robbery from Nov. 9, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Maeweather.

At around 1:24 p.m. on Nov. 9, Franklin Township Police Department got a 911 call reporting that two men in an SUV were having an altercation with another man in the area of Claremont Road in Franklin Township.

The caller reported that one of the men appeared to have a handgun, said McDonald.

Franklin Township Police officers found the alleged SUV and the two suspects in the area and detained them for further investigation.

An investigation revealed that the driver of the SUV, a juvenile male who was one of the individuals detained by the Franklin Township Police officers, drove up to a man on Claremont Road, brandished a handgun and demanded the victim’s money and cellular telephone.

The passenger of the SUV, also detained by Franklin Township Police officers and identified as Oscar Juarez-Perfecto, also jumped out of the SUV and brandished a handgun, said McDonald.

A vape pen was taken from the victim, but no injuries were sustained resulting from the robbery, said McDonald.

Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Franklin Township Police Department were able to find the two handguns that were used during the robbery.

Juarez-Perfecto, and the juvenile were both arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Juarez-Perfecto was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing in this matter. The juvenile was lodged in the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center pending a family court appearance.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

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