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Fort Lee NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of 22-year-old JAROL LEDESMA of Brooklyn, NY; 21-year-old JAVIER PENA of Bronx, NY; 23-year-old JOSE PERALTA of Bronx, NY; 24-year-old JUSTIN MARTHA of Bronx, NY; and 28-year-old MICHAEL MERCEDES MARTE of Newark, NJ on charges stemming from an armed robbery in Fort Lee, NJ. The charges are the result of a months-long investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Fort Lee Police Department, under the direction of Chief Matthew Hintze.
On Saturday, June 28, 2025, at approximately 4:00 a.m., the Fort Lee Police Department responded to an armed robbery in the parking lot of a hotel on Route 4 East in Fort Lee, NJ. Upon arrival, responding officers were met by several victims who reported that they were robbed at gunpoint by multiple suspects wearing masks. Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad were notified, responded to the scene, and initiated a joint investigation with the Fort Lee Police Department.
The preliminary investigation revealed that five individuals in a black Dodge Durango arrived in the parking lot and waited for the victims, all of whom had just returned to the hotel from a work event out of state. Once the victims arrived, four masked gunmen exited the Durango and approached them, pointing both handguns and long guns. The fifth suspect remained in the driver’s seat of the Durango. The suspects demanded their valuables and stole the jewelry of three of the victims. The estimated total value of the stolen jewelry was more than $390,000.00. The suspects returned to the waiting Dodge Durango and fled the scene.
A two-month investigation led to the full identification of the suspect vehicle, which detectives discovered had stolen license plates belonging to other vehicles at the time of the incident. Ultimately, detectives concluded that the Durango itself was also stolen in Brooklyn, NY two months prior to the armed robbery in Fort Lee. Additionally, the investigation revealed that the suspects surveilled and followed the victims prior to the robbery. The extensive investigation led to the identification of the masked suspects as JAROL LEDESMA, JAVIER PENA, JOSE PERALTA, MICHAEL MERCEDES MARTE, and JUSTIN MARTHA.
As a result, on Friday, August 22, 2025, JUSTIN MARTHA was charged with three counts of first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); second-degree certain persons not to possess a firearm, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-7b(1); and five counts of fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm at another, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b (4). On that same day, MARTHA was located and arrested in the Bronx, NY by members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force (Westchester County) and the Westchester County Police Department. MARTHA remains in custody in New York, pending extradition to Bergen County, NJ.
On Saturday, August 30, 2025, JOSE PERALTA was charged with three counts of first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); and five counts of fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm at another, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b (4). PERALTA, who was already in police custody in Westchester County, NY for an unrelated offense, has since been extradited to New Jersey and remanded to the Bergen County Jail, where he remains pending trial.
On Sunday, August 31, 2025, with the assistance of the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Fort Lee Police Department, and Essex County Prosecutor’s Office executed a court-authorized search warrant at the residence of MICHAEL MERCEDES MARTE in Newark, NJ. MARTE was placed under arrest and charged with three counts of first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); and five counts of fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm at another, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b (4). MARTE was remanded to the Bergen County Jail where he remains in custody pending trial.
On Friday, September 5, 2025, JAROL LEDESMA, who was already incarcerated in Massachusetts for an unrelated offense, was charged with three counts of first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); and five counts of fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm at another, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b (4). LEDESMA was served with his charges and remains in custody in Massachusetts, pending extradition to Bergen County, NJ.
On Thursday, August 28, 2025, JAVIER PENA was charged with three counts of first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); and five counts of fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm at another, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b (4).
On Sunday, September 21, 2025, JAVIER PENA was located and arrested in the Bronx, NY by members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force (Westchester County) and the Westchester County Police Department. PENA remains in custody in New York, pending extradition to Bergen County, NJ.
Prosecutor Mark Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella would like to thank and recognize the Fort Lee Police Department, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, and the Westchester County (NY) Police Department for their assistance in this investigation. In addition, he would like to thank the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force (Westchester County), the Westchester County (NY) District Attorney’s Office, and the New York City Police Department, and for their coordination and assistance in this investigation, as well as for their individual and collective efforts leading to the apprehension of the various defendants.
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