Armed Men Rob North Brunswick Warehouse, Take Guard Hostage

NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Men from Iselin, North Bergen and Elizabeth robbed a warehouse in North Brunswick at gunpoint on the evening of July 4, and took over an unarmed security guard who was hired to watch the place, police said.

The armed robbery occurred just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 4 at 1675 Jersey Avenue. This is a large warehouse-type facility. Police were told that several men entered building. Armed with a handgun, they took over an unarmed security guard who was working there by assaulting him. The suspects then went on to try and remove a "significant" amount of merchandise from the facility.

However, the security guard was able to escape and run to a nearby neighborhood and call for help. North Brunswick police officers got there just as the suspects were attempting to leave the building. One of the men got into a box-style truck and attempted to flee northbound on Jersey Avenue. Police chased the box truck eventually into New Brunswick where the truck crashed and the driver fled on foot.

Police were able to capture that man after a subsequent foot pursuit. Simultaneously while that pursuit was going on, police had set up a barrier around the facility to contain other suspects that were seen retreating back into the building. Believing that additional armed suspects were contained within, the Middlesex County Special Operations Response Team (SORT) was called in to do a sweep and clear the building. During the search, two additional suspects were located hiding near the building and were subsequently taken into custody.

A search also uncovered several items of evidence, including the gun used. There were no injuries to report and all suspects are believed to be in custody at this time.

Axell Mendoza, 30, of North Bergen, Alex Pelerigo, 50, of Elizabeth and Jun Jang, 31, of Iselin were all arrested and charged.

Images released by North Brunswick police. Top photo exterior of the warehouse on Jersey Avenue via Google Earth