2 Arrested, 1 Remains At Large In Armed Robbery In Union County

LINDEN, NJ — A man and a woman were arrested and another man remains at large in connection with an armed robbery that happened earlier this month.

On May 17, at around 5:40 p.m., Linden Police Officers went to the 1400 block of S. Wood Ave on reports of an armed robbery.

The victims said they were sitting inside their vehicle when they were approached by two men wearing ski masks.

One of the men reportedly pointed a handgun at the driver and demanded money. The suspects then entered a black Nissan driven by a woman and fled the scene, said police.

Officers found the vehicle parked nearby, however, when the officer turned on his lights, the vehicle drove off, said police.

The officer chased the vehicle for a short distance before it suddenly came to a stop. One of the suspects exited the vehicle and ran from the scene, said police.

The driver of the vehicle, Ananda Rodriguez, 22, of Linden was placed under arrest. She was charged with eluding and released on a summons pending a scheduled court appearance. The two men were not located.

An investigation by the Linden Police Detective Bureau identified the men as Bentley Suggs, 22, and Cornelius James Jr., 24, both of Linden.

Suggs, James, and Rodriguez are each charged with two counts of first-degree armed robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, second-degree possession of a weapon, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Suggs and Rodriguez were both arrested by detectives without incident on May 25. They were processed and taken to the Union County Jail pending a scheduled appearance in Superior Court.

Cornelius James remains at large.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is encouraged to contact Det. Matthew Jones at 908-474- 8556 or Linden Central Dispatch at 908-474-8500.

Tips about this crime or any other crime can also be shared anonymously via email to crimetips@lpdnj.org.

"I am very proud of the collective efforts in this case, both by our responding Officers and Detectives, and by the members of the community that came forward," said Police Chief David Hart. "These charges, along with similar violent crime arrests earlier this month, demonstrate how we as a community can take these violent criminals off our streets together."

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