Violent Jersey City Burglars Will Be Deported: Prosecutor

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The four Jersey City men who broke into a West Orange home and “terrorized” a married couple and their infant child at gunpoint last June have pleaded guilty to robbery, burglary and unlawful possession of a weapon, Essex County prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Three of the defendants – Edward Bentura, 33, Yodelin Diaz, 25, and Lidio Martinez Miese, 30 – are not U.S. citizens and will be deported to the Dominican Republic after they serve their prison term. The fourth defendant, Jesus Quinones, 38, is an American citizen, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

All are Jersey City residents. Only Bentura had a prior conviction for burglary; the June incident was a first offense for the others, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, on June 8, 2017, the men broke into the West Orange family’s home as the husband was unloading their car after a trip to IKEA. The men then bound him with zip-ties and assaulted him, demanding cash.

Wielding guns, the men threatened the man’s wife, who was holding their infant child at the time. They then began to heat a knife on the stove and told the husband that they would kill his wife and child if he didn’t open a nearby safe and give them the cash inside, prosecutors said.

During the incident, the female victim managed to send a text to her family and the police with a hidden cell phone. Prosecutors later credited the woman for her “bravery and vigilance in the face of danger.”

The four assailants also faced another obstacle when they realized that the home had a surveillance system installed. They demanded that the family hand over the equipment before they fled the scene, tripping an alarm on their way out, prosecutors said.

“Although they took part of the surveillance equipment, the entire incident was captured on cameras that were still intact,” prosecutors said.

West Orange police apprehended the four men soon afterwards on Route 280 with the video equipment, cash, guns, zip ties and masks in their possession.

Essex County prosecutors thanked the West Orange Police Department for their “exceptional work” during the incident.

In 2017, an Essex County grand jury indicted Bentura, Diaz, Miese and Quinones on 17 counts of conspiracy, robbery, burglary, criminal restraint, terroristic threats, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and tampering with evidence.

They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, armed robbery, burglary, and unlawful possession of a weapon on Monday, prosecutors said.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Bentura, Diaz, Miese and Quinones are expected to be sentenced to 15 years in New Jersey State Prison with an 85 percent period of parole ineligibility. They are scheduled to be sentenced on April 6.

Photo: Shutterstock

By Eric Kiefer, Patch Staff