Uber driver and Accomplices Arrested in Knife Point Robbery of Passenger in Saddle Brook

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Saddle Brook NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of ALLEN ERNST (DOB: 07/18/1994; single; unemployed) of Garfield, NJ; KARINA EREMYAN (DOB: 04/01/1991; single; unemployed) of Fair Lawn, NJ; and ANTONIO BOWEN (DOB: 11/04/1993; single; currently incarcerated) on charges of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.  The arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Saddle Brook Police Department under the direction of Officer in Charge Captain John Zotollo.

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Around 3:30 a.m., on March 23, 2022, Saddle Brook Police responded to a 911 call reporting that a man had been robbed by an Uber driver in the parking lot located at 50 Kenny Place in Saddle Brook.  A man held a knife to the victim’s neck while demanding he hand over his backpack which contained $3,000 and other items.  Shortly after the suspect robbed the victim of his backpack and money, the victim was able to escape by running away.

A months-long investigation by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad and the Saddle Brook Police Department revealed that ALLEN ERNST was the actor who held a knife to the victim’s neck and that KARINA EREMYAN and ANTONIO BOWEN conspired with ERNST to commit the armed robbery.  EREMYAN was operating the vehicle the victim was riding in, and BOWEN was operating a nearby vehicle that ERNST fled in.

On Thursday, August 18, 2022, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad and the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department arrested KARINA EREMYAN without incident in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.

On Monday, August 22, 2022, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad, Saddle Brook Police Department, and Bergen County Sheriff’s Office arrested ALLEN ERNST without incident in Saddle Brook, NJ.  Later that same afternoon, ANTONIO BOWEN was served with his charges at the Morris County Jail in Morristown, NJ.

ALLEN ERNST, KARINA EREMYAN and ANTONIO BOWEN were each charged with first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree conspiracy to commit armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:5a(2)/2C:15-1a(1); third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4d; and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5d.  ERNST was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing scheduled for August 26, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.  EREMYAN was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing scheduled for August 29, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.  BOWEN remains lodged in the Morris County Jail.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  He would like to thank the Saddle Brook Police Department, Hasbrouck Heights Police Department, and Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this investigation.