Alleged Ridge Road gas station robber caught: NAPD

NAPD Image of robbery suspect captured on surveillance video.
NAPD
Image of robbery suspect captured
on surveillance video.

NORTH ARLINGTON – 

Updated from original story that appeared in the 9 Dec. edition of The Observer. See the original story below this update.

The North Arlington Police Department’s detective bureau, with assistance from the Belleville Police Department, were able to develop information, which subsequently led to a suspect, seen in the photo to the right, being positively identified and arrested.

The suspect, Wayne V. Barnes, 47, of Belleville, was arrested, without incident, at his Belleville residence on Monday at approximately 6:30 p.m., according to Capt. Scott Hedenberg, the NAPD’s operations commander.

North Arlington and Belleville officers were on scene when Barnes was arrested.  During that time, the officers on scene located the clothing used during the incident, as well as a metal pipe which was identified as the weapon presented during the incident, according to Hedenberg.

Barnes was charged with armed robbery, a first-degree crime; theft of movable property, a fourth-degree crime; and possession of a weapon, other than a firearm, for unlawful purpose, a third-degree crime.

Hedenberg said Barnes was remanded to the Bergen County Jail on $57,500 bail, with no 10% option.


Original Story

Police are seeking a man who they say held up and robbed a service station in the borough last Thursday evening.

North Arlington Police Capt. Scott Hedenberg, the department’s operations commander, said that officers responded to the LukOil gas station, 353 Ridge Road, near the Lyndhurst border, at about 9 p.m., on a report of a robbery.

Hedenberg said the attendant on duty told police that a man entered the station office, displayed a large metal object and pushed and threatened the attendant while demanding cash.

The attendant told police he turned over an estimated $200 to $300 and the bandit ran north on Ridge toward Albert St. where he reportedly entered a two-door vehicle, whose N.J. license plate the attendant could offer only a partial recollection of as NFD-….

That vehicle was last seen traveling west on Albert, Hedenberg said.

Based on the attendant’s report and supplemented by a private surveillance camera’s video footage, the robber was described by police as a dark-skin black man, in his 30s, between 6-feet-two and 6-feetfour, wearing a black North Face skull cap, black vest with a hood, grey sweater, black North Face gloves, black sweat pants and grey/white sneakers.

Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the North Arlington Police Det. Agostino Feola at 201-991-4400, ext. 139. All information will be kept confidential.

– Ron Leir 

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