A local gym owner may be pumping iron this weekend — except it will be behind bars, since police say he is responsible for attempting a vicious robbery at Schuyler Avenue supermarket Friday, June 6, Det. Sgt. John Fabula said this afternoon.
At 3 p.m., Friday, June 6, patrol units responded to what turned out to be a violent robbery at Seabra Foods on Schuyler Avenue. According to staff, when they confronted a suspect who had stolen merchandise, the man produced a black handgun and beat an employee with it.
The suspect fled on foot and a detailed description was obtained.
The victim, meanwhile, was taken to a local hospital and later transferred to a trauma center because of the severity of a facial injury.
Using town-owned cameras, detectives quickly tracked the suspect’s movements before and after the incident. His tattoos were visible in the footage and Det. Jordenson Jean recognized him as Edsel M. Brown, 35, of Kearny. Camera footage confirmed Brown fled into No Label Fitness, a local gym he owns, which was not currently open for business.
Firearms records confirmed a 9mm handgun was registered to him. Within 30 minutes of the crime, detectives had established a perimeter around the gym, which had its lights off and all doors and windows obscured from the inside.
A few hours later, Kearny detectives and the Hudson County Regional SWAT Team executed arrest and search warrants at the suspect’s gym. As Brown resisted arrest and assaulted officers while attempting to flee on foot, officers gave chase and ultimately apprehended him.
The Hudson County drone was deployed to assist in locating the suspect.
During the pursuit, Brown discarded additional items of evidentiary value, which were later recovered. Inside the gym, detectives recovered several more pieces of evidence linking him to the crime.
Brown was charged with first-degree robbery and various other criminal offenses, after which he was transported to the Hudson County Jail, South Kearny.
Said police Chief Scott Macfie: “Violence will not be tolerated in our community. We remain committed to using every available resource to capture dangerous offenders. Our continued investment in modern technology from surveillance cameras to drone capabilities has once again proven essential in resolving critical incidents.”
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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.