Woman Carjacked At Knifepoint At Secaucus Walmart, Police Say

SECAUCUS, NJ — A woman driving a BMW convertible was carjacked in the parking lot of the Secaucus Walmart Wednesday morning, according to Secaucus Police.

The two suspects, which police say are pictured above, showed her a knife and took cash and her 2016 BMW M23 convertible, said police. The stolen car was recovered in Newark later that same day, and the two men were charged.

The 66-year-old woman said the two men approached her at 10:49 a.m. in the Secaucus Walmart parking lot, showed a knife and demanded cash from her. She was uninjured, but they drove off in her car and with an unspecified amount of cash.

Upon the arrival of police, the Secaucus Police Anti-Crime Unit conducted an on-scene investigation.

The detectives determined that the suspects came to Secaucus in a 2022 Nissan Altima, which was later confirmed to have been carjacked from New York City the day prior, Tuesday. The Nissan Altima had been reported as stolen.

Secaucus Police detectives developed information that the BMW M23 was in the area of Brenner Street in Newark and went to Newark.

It was in Newark that Secaucus Police detectives, with the assistance of Newark Police, located the stolen 2022 Nissan Altima. The Nissan was occupied by Xavier Cenpin and Caliente Gaillard, both 19, of Newark. Cenpin was found in possession of a knife.

Also while in the area of Brenner Street, Newark Police observed the stolen 2016 BMW M23. It was being driven by a third man who drove off in the car, and remains at large.

The Essex County Sheriff’s office recovered the unoccupied 2016 BMW M23 a short time later within Newark city limits.

The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests may be made, said police, if they can find the third man who was driving the stolen BMW.

Cenpin and Gaillard are both charged with Armed Carjacking [2C:15-2a(2)], Armed Robbery [2C:15-1a(1)], Conspiracy to Commit Armed Carjacking and Armed Robbery [2C:52a/2C:15-2a(2) & 2C:15- 1a(1)] and Receiving Stolen Property [2C:20-7].

Cenpin was additionally charged with Unlawful Possession of Weapon [2C:39-5d] and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose [2C:39-4d].

Gaillard was also wanted by the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office on an outstanding warrant for burglary. Both were lodged in the Hudson County Jail.

Car thefts have skyrocketed in North and Central Jersey in 2022 and have reached such epidemic proportions that in April NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin reversed his own policy that prevented police officers from pursuing stolen cars, as part of a Gov. Phil Murphy's attempts to reduce police use of force. Learn more: As NJ Car Thefts Surge, State Revises Policy To Allow Police Pursuit

“When someone is the victim of a crime in Secaucus, I have authorized my detectives to follow the case into any jurisdiction so that justice can be served,” said Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller. “I am proud of the diligent efforts and determination of the Secaucus Police Anti-Crime Unit and for making arrests in this case within hours of the crimes. I am thankful for the assistance from the Newark Police Department and Essex County Sheriff’s Office. I and hopeful our criminal justice system prevails and the defendants will be held accountable for victimizing an innocent woman at knifepoint.”