Man Charged In Armed Robberies Of Stores In Hoboken, Secaucus, Jersey City: Prosecutor

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said Friday that they had charged a Hackensack man in the armed robberies in at least five businesses in Hudson County in one night, including a liquor store in Hoboken, a gas station in Secaucus, and a store in Jersey City.

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said all of the robberies occurred between the late night hours of Friday, April 29, 2022 and the early morning hours of Saturday, April 30, 2022.

In each incident, a handgun was brandished and money was demanded from the clerk working at a business, Suarez's office said.

After an investigation involving local police, Joel Krecz, 35, of Hackensack, was charged this week.

Prosecutors said that Krecz was charged with multiple counts of robbery and various weapons and theft offenses in connection with:

• The robbery of a store on Route 440 in Jersey City on Friday, April 29, 2022.
• The robbery of a liquor store on Summit Avenue in Union City on Saturday, April 30,
• 2022.
• The robbery of a gas station on Route 3 in Secaucus on Saturday, April 30, 2022.
• The robbery of a business on Paterson Plank Road in Union City on Saturday, April 30,
  2022.
• The robbery of a liquor store on Willow Avenue in Hoboken on Saturday, April 30, 2022.

The Prosecutor's Office said he was arrested this past Tuesday in Jersey City while in possession of a handgun.

Jersey City Police Director Tawana Moody and Deputy Chief Nicola Flora said, in a statement, “We are incredibly grateful for the astute observation made by Jersey City OEM supervisor Timothy Lawrence, who led JCPD to the arrest."

Krecz is being held at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny pending his first court
appearance, which is tentatively scheduled for this Monday.

The Prosecutor's Office noted that they are continuing to investigate the robbery of a store on Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen on Friday, April 8.

"Additional arrests and charges are expected," they noted.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential.

“By working together with departments across city lines, we not only apprehended an armed and
dangerous criminal, but we also prevented this armed robber from potentially committing many
more acts of violence and stopped him from further terrorizing our communities,” said Moody and Flora.

"Crime has no jurisdictional boundaries and the Secaucus Police Department will continue to work with our law enforcement counterparts and pursue criminals who victimize businesses and
residents,” said Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller. “By working collaborative and sharing
police resources, we are able to bring this brazen criminal to justice.”

“I want to thank our partnering agencies for their professionalism, dedication, and swift response
in apprehending the individual involved in a series of robberies throughout Hudson County,” said
Hoboken Police Chief Steven Aguiar.

“The Union City Police Department is committed to seeing that everyone feels safe when they are
walking through their neighborhood or going to work to provide for their families,” said Union
City Police Chief Nichelle Luster.

“This arrest is the direct result of good, collaborative policing between patrol officers, detectives,
and major case units,” Suarez said.

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