If you’re going to rob people in Kearny — never a good idea, really — you’re going to get caught and arrested. So says Chief Scott Macfie after the Kearny Police Deartment quickly solved a robbery from earlier this morning, Friday, April 4, 2025.
According to Macfie:
At about 10:50 a.m., Officer Ryan Wilson was flagged down by a victim who said he had just been robbed of his jewelry by a suspect on a bicycle, near the intersection of Halstead Street and Kearny Avenue. The suspect fled from Officer Wilson, then disposed of his bicycle and outer layers of clothing, both of which were later recovered.
Officer Wilson provided a detailed description of the suspect, including his face tattoos, to units in the area.
Meanwhile, the suspect ran through back yards, crossing Belgrove Drive and ending up on Passaic Avenue, running south along the river bank.
Dets. Kevin Matos, Bryan San Martin and Anthony Nunez quickly spotted the suspect who immediately changed direction and began to run. A lengthy foot pursuit ensued, but the suspect was ultimately captured by Officer Sean Wilson and East Newark Sgt. Junior Fiore, near Grant Avenue in East Newark. A search incident to arrest
yielded the victim’s jewelry and a knife.
Kearny officers also recovered the suspect’s bicycle, his discarded clothing and an airsoft pistol from which the orange tip was removed. Town of Kearny camera footage proved to be instrumental in the course of this rapidly evolving incident.
The suspect, identified as Marquis E. Simmons, 35, of Newark, was charged with robbery, theft, four counts of weapons offenses and two counts of obstructing the administration of law.
“Outstanding work by our officers in apprehending this robbery suspect,” Macfie said. “Criminals should know — if you break the law in this town, we will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.