East Orange Man charged with five armed robberies of Gas Stations and Convenience Stores in Paramus, Mahwah, Elmwood Park and Fair Lawn

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Mahwah NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of THOMAS JOHNSON (DOB: 1/24/93; single; self-employed) of 58 Amherst Street, East Orange, NJ on charges related to five armed robberies of gas stations and convenience stores in Bergen County, NJ on January 22 and 25, 2023. The arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love.

During the evening hours of Sunday, January 22, 2023, four separate armed robberies were reported in a 30-minute window. An individual wearing the same clothing held cashiers at gunpoint at the 7-Eleven convenience store in Fair Lawn, the BP Gas Station in Paramus, and the Valero and Bolla Gas Stations in Mahwah. Subsequently, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad were notified of the incidents and initiated an investigation.

On Wednesday, January 25, 2023, an armed robbery was reported at the 7-Eleven convenience store in Elmwood Park. Detectives determined that the actor was the same as the four armed robberies committed on January 22.

During the course of the investigation, detectives identified THOMAS JOHNSON as a suspect. On Thursday, February 2, 2022, a search warrant was executed at the residence of JOHNSON in East Orange, NJ, and JOHNSON was placed under arrest without incident.

THOMAS JOHNSON was charged with six counts of first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); five counts of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); five counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); and one count of fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b(4). JOHNSON was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending an appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the Fair Lawn Police Department, Paramus Police Department, Mahwah Police Department, Elmwood Park Police Department, Clifton Police Department, Woodbridge Police Department, Edison Police Department, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance with the