CLIFTON - Seven men pushed their way into a Portland Avenue, apartment by breaking down the front door at 11:07 p.m. on Nov. 3, forced the five occupants to lay face down on the kitchen floor, tied them up with duct tape and robbed them.
Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said while the two male residents and the three female visitors were on the floor, the seven suspects took money, jewelry and cell phones. He said at one point the suspects pistol-whipped one of the two male victims as they asked him where the drugs and money were hidden.
The suspects fled the home through the rear door and through rear yards after the robbery, Rowan said, adding when Clifton police arrived on the scene they quickly notified surrounding police departments about the robbery and issued a description of the two get-away cars and the seven suspects.
Rowan said a short time later Passaic police officers apprehended three men matching the description of the suspects. Arrested and charged with robbery, theft and illegal possession of a handgun were Jonathan Datria, 20, of Elmwood Park, Shameik Byrd, 18, of Passaic and Ojuku Boons, 27, of Passaic.
When the suspects were apprehended, Rowan said they had duct tape in their possession as well as a gold watch reported stolen from the apartment. Passaic police also charged them with drug possession.
Passaic police also located the two get-away cars, a black Nissan pickup truck on the Boulevard with two black caps and a ski mask inside and another cap on the ground next to the truck. Rowan said the second vehicle, a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am was found on Randolph Avenue in Passaic. One of the stolen cell phones was found on the street near the Pontiac, Rowan said, adding both cars are in the possession of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit.
Police are looking for the remaining four suspects as well looking into a motive for the home invasion.
The two male victims, both 24 years old, live in the apartment while the three women, a 20-year-old from Totowa, a 20-year-old from Pequannock and a 22-year-old from Long Branch, were visiting.
"We’re glad the Passaic Police Department made the quick arrests on this," Rowan said, adding, "It’s an example of good cooperation between the two agencies."
