Armed Robbery Suspect Wanted By Wayne Police, Officials Say

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne police are seeking help from the public in locating an armed robbery suspect.

On June 8, around 3 p.m., a trio of armed men robbed three contractors working on a building slated for demolition on Valley Road in Wayne.

Armed with knives and guns, the trio robbed the three workers and stole one of their cars, police say. One of the victims was pistol-whipped during the incident, authorities added.

The suspects then took off in their own car and a car they stole from one of the workers, according to police.

The suspect's vehicle was found unoccupied in Paterson later that night. Detectives waited for the driver to return to it before taking the three occupants into custody.

The driver, Brayan D. Espinal-Fernandez, 24, of Paterson, was a suspect in the robbery and carjacking, police determined. The other two people in the car were found not to be involved in the crime, officials added.

Evidence of the crime was found in Espinal-Fernandez's car, police said.

Espinal-Fernandez was charged with carjacking, armed robbery, theft, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, aggravated assault, and conspiracy.

The stolen car was recovered in Newark, police added.

Detectives continued to look for the other culprits and identified Luis A. Rivera-Yens, 32, of Paterson, as a suspect.

Rivera-Yens was arrested in his Paterson home on June 11. Authorities found evidence of the crime in his home, police said.

He was charged with carjacking, armed robbery, theft, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, aggravated assault, and conspiracy.

Further investigation identified the third and final suspect as Yonathan Joel Medrano-Alvarez, AKA Joel Medrano, 25, of Paterson.

He faces the same charges as his co-conspirators, but has not been found by police as of Thursday morning.

Police said detectives have made several attempts to find Medrano-Alvarez in Paterson with no success.

He has been entered as a Wanted Person with nationwide extradition.

Anyone with information on Medrano-Alvarez's location or further details about the robbery is asked to call the Wayne Police Department's Detective Bureau at 973-633-3530.