Bloomfield Police Apprehend Belleville Robbers

On March 14, two juveniles accused of robbing an 83-year-old woman in Belleville were swiftly caught by police in Bloomfield, where they had fled. 

The victim had just finished shopping at the Stop & Shop supermarket in Bloomfield and was walking home along Sanford Avenue in Belleville when two young black males approached her and grabbed her purse, she told police. The woman tried to hang on to the purse but was unable to, and the two suspects ran down Sanford Avenue towards Bloomfield. The woman was unhurt, police said. 

When police arrived, the woman gave them a “very good” description of the suspects and their clothing, Belleville police said. Several area residents came to the woman’s aid, including one man who attempted to give her money, police also said. 

Using the woman’s information, police in nearby Bloomfield apprehended two 17-year-old Newark youth a short time later on the corner of Franklin Street and Baldwin Place in Bloomfield. The victim was taken to where the youths were caught and positively identified them. Loose change was found in the pockets of the suspects, which the woman said she had been carrying at the time she was robbed. 

Belleville police also helped the woman retrieve the purse and all its contents, which had been strewn along the street. 

The suspects were charged with robbery and receiving stolen property and taken to the Essex County Youth House in Newark.