NJ Man Robbed Livingston Pharmacy At Gunpoint, Sentenced To Prison

LIVINGSTON, NJ — An Essex County man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for robbing a pharmacy in Livingston at gunpoint, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

Nariq Petes, 27, of Newark, was sentenced to 149 months in prison and five years of supervised release after being convicted of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and using and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Another person involved in the robbery – Xavier Reyes – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery in May 2025. He was sentenced to 111 months’ imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.

The robbery took place on Dec. 30, 2023 in Livingston. Here’s what happened, prosecutors said:

“Petes and Reyes drove together and entered a pharmacy in Livingston wearing black masks and carrying guns. Once inside the pharmacy, Petes and Reyes brandished handguns and demanded prescription drugs. Petes and Reyes took at least six bottles of prescription medication. Three days later, on Jan. 2, 2024, law enforcement arrested Petes at his apartment in Newark, where he was found with stolen medication from the pharmacy.”

Federal prosecutors credited the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Livingston Police Department with assisting the investigation.

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