2 Masked Men Carjacked Couple, Hudson County Man Indicted: Officials

NORTH JERSEY — After a couple was carjacked by two masked men at gunpoint in April while they waited for food in Elizabeth, a Hudson County man was indicted for carjacking, robbery, and conspiracy this week, the state Attorney General's Office said.

Rahmel Belle, 22, of Jersey City, is also charged with weapons offenses, eluding, assault on a law enforcement officer, and other offenses in connection with the incident, which occurred April 23, the state Office of Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.

The victims were sitting in a Mercedes Benz waiting to pick up food at a restaurant on Morris Avenue in Elizabeth around 7:30 p.m. when two masked men exited a car behind them and approached them, officials said.

One of the men pointed a grey handgun with a laser at them, ordered them out of the car, and demanded keys to the vehicle, their cell phones, and other items, officials said. The couple handed over the items, including $1,704 in cash.

The gunman drove off in the vehicle.

Newark Police officer later observed the stolen Mercedes on Elizabeth Avenue in Newark and pursued it through the city before losing sight of it on Route 78, officials said. A Newark Police aviation unit was able to assist and track the car to Jersey City, where the driver eventually abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.

Jersey City Police were able to locate and apprehend Belle after a brief foot chase and physical scuffle, state officials said. A grey handgun with a green laser was recovered in the bushes next to him and he had $1,744 in cash and the key fob to the stolen Mercedes, they said.

The 15-count indictment was obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized Crime Bureau on Friday, the Attorney General's Office said.

“Carjacking victims at gunpoint on a busy street in broad daylight is the most dangerous form of auto theft we’re combatting in New Jersey,” Platkin said. “We have dedicated additional personnel, resources, and technology to put a stop to brazen crimes like this."

Car theft and carjackings are on the rise in New Jersey, lawmakers have said, and some car theft rings have been recruiting teenagers, who may escape harsher punishment.

Belle is charged with the following crimes:

• First-degree: Carjacking, robbery (2 counts)
• Second-degree:Conspiracy to commit carjacking, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, eluding
• Third-degree: Resisting arrest (2 counts)
• Fourth-degree: Prohibited weapons and devices (2 counts), resisting arrest (2 counts), aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, receiving stolen property.

Belle is being held in Essex County Jail, awaiting a trial, officials said.