Hitman Who Drove To Mahwah For Meeting Arrested: Prosecutor

MAHWAH, N.J. — A New York man was arrested Friday after he drove to what he thought was a meeting in Mahwah to arrange putting a hit on someone, said Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal.

Joshua Craig Rowling, 18, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail following his arrest, Grewal said in a news release.

The Mahwah Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Cyber Crimes Unit investigated Rowling, a Richmondville, New York resident.

Rowling allegedly used the dark web to offer his services as a hitman. The dark web is content that exists on parts of the World Wide Web that use public Internet but can only be accessed using specific software or authorizations.

Authorities learned that Rowling allegedly agreed to commit a murder in exchange for a firearm and cash, Grewal said. Rowling reportedly drove from his home to the Mason Jar in Mahwah to meet with someone he thought he was offering his services to, but who was actually an undercover police officer, Grewal said.

Rowling was arrested and search warrants were executed at his home and on his vehicle; authorities found "numerous items of evidence," Grewal said.

In addition to conspiracy to murder, Rowling was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of silencer, Grewal said.

Rowling is currently being held in the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Bergen County Central Municipal Court in Hackensack Nov. 2, Grewal said.

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Joshua Craig Rowling, 18, of Richmondville, New York — Bergen County Prosecutor's Office