Quantcast

Two Men Arrested, Third Sought In Green Brook Robbery That Spilled Into Township

No word on what type of weapon was used in the robbery, or if third suspect has it.

A wrecker pulls a car abandoned behind a Marcy Street home Jan. 27.


Two men were arrested and a third is still at large in connection with a Jan. 27 incident that began with a robbery in Green Brook and ended with an attempted carjacking and an abandoned getaway vehicle in the township.

Antwon Barksdale, 19, of Irvington, and Mario Cumberbatch, 32, of Brooklyn, N.Y. were arrested on various charges, including armed robbery, after they allegedly robbed a Verizon store on Route 22 in Green Brook, according to a pres release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

A third accomplice remains at large, the release said.

The incident began at about 4:20 p.m. when a 9-1-1 call was placed to authorities, stating that an armed robbery was taking place at the Verizon store. Witnesses told police that two men wearing ski masks, one them armed, robbed the store, according to the release.

After the robbery, the duo fled in a car driven by a third man, the release said.

Piscataway police saw the getaway car in an area off Old New Brunswick Road, the release said. Barksdale jumped out of the car and was later arrested by Piscataway police, according to the release. The proceeds from the robbery, which were not identified, were also recovered, the release said.

A short time later, South Bound Brook police saw the getaway car, according to the release. Upon being spotted by police, the release said, the other two suspects stopped the car and fled on foot.

Although the release did not specify where the car was abandoned, there was a heavy police presence during the evening on Marcy Street, near Markham Road, where an abandoned car could be seen in the backyard of a home, with deep ruts in the grass from the street to where the car was stopped. A wrecker later took the car away. That area of Franklin, known as Nassau Park, is close to the South Bound Brook border.

Cumberbatch allegedly tried to carjack a driver, but was unsuccessful and was arrested by a South Bound Brook police officer, according to the release. It was not clear in the release in which town the attempted carjacking occurred.

A NJ State Police helicopter scans the Marcy Street area on Jan. 27. Photo: Marilyn Parente.

The third suspect, the identity of whom was not known, according to the release, is still at large. The investigation into who and where he is is still being conducted by detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Green Brook Township Police, according to the release.

A two-man police K-9 unit was also seen patrolling the streets in the Marcy Street neighborhood.

Residents also reported seeing a low-flying State Police helicopter scanning the Marcy Street area.

Barksdale was charged with 1st Degree Armed Robbery and 2nd Degree Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery, according to the release.

Cumberbatch was charged with 1st Degree Armed Robbery, 2nd Degree Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery, 1st Degree Carjacking and 2nd Degree Eluding.

Neither man was charged with a weapons offense, according to the release. Both men were lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing, according to the release.

No information was given in the release, and a Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman did not respond to questions asking about the type of weapon used in the robbery, and whether the weapon had been recovered or if it was believed to be in the third suspect’s possession.

 

Your Thoughts

comments

Please Support Independent Journalism In Franklin Township!

No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Period. We are the only truly independent media serving the Eight Villages.

But we can only do that with your support. Please consider a yearly subscription to our online news site; at $37 a year, it’s one of the best investments you can make in our community.

To subscribe, please click here.

Other News From The Eight Villages …