Blotter: Two Robberies, One Arrest This Week in Maplewood

Three Maplewood boys were the victims of two robberies this past week. While the perpetrators in one incident are still at large, an arrest was made in the other attack.

In the first incident, a 16-year-old boy reported he was assaulted and had his cell phone stolen from him on Parker Avenue on Nov. 15.

According to Maplewood Police, the victim reported he was approached by five or six men while walking west on Parker near Lancaster Avenue. One of the suspects, described as a black man, 16-17 years old, 5’8" tall, with a thin build and wearing a light blue windbreaker and blue jeans, asked him if he had a cell phone before punching him in the face. The other men then began punching and kicking him before one of them reached into his pocket and removed his Droid 3 cell phone.

The victim refused medical attention.

Also, on Nov. 15 at 7:15 pm, two Maplewood youths reported they were robbed near the intersections of Boyden Avenue and Hughes Street. They reported they were approached by two suspects, and one said, “Don’t run, I’m strapped.”

The suspects proceeded to take an Apple laptop computer from one of the victims before fleeing down Hughes Street towards Seth Boyden School. Maplewood Police Officer Michael Bertone saw a suspect matching the description on Boyden Avenue, however the suspect began to flee on foot.

After a foot chase, Bertone apprehended the suspect in the rear of Seth Boyden School. The suspect was identified as Eli Joseph, 18, of 738 Stuyvesant Ave., Irvington. He was positively identified by the victims, arrested and transported to police headquarters for processing.