Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of JOSE A. SANTANA TORRES, a/k/a “Roberto Daniel Clementi Giron,” 22, of Bronx, NY on charges of armed robbery and other offenses. The arrest is the continuation of a months-long investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck.
As previously announced, officers from the Edgewater Police Department responded to a report of an armed robbery on River Road on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at approximately 3:11 p.m. Officers determined that two suspects approached the victim at a shopping center, brandished a handgun, and stole the victim’s watch while a lookout stood by. The suspects fled the area in separate getaway vehicles that were operated by other men who were waiting nearby. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad was notified, responded, and initiated a joint investigation, which revealed that the victim was likely followed by the suspects from Hudson County, NJ to Edgewater where the armed robbery took place.
On March 1, 2024, after a months-long investigation, Prosecutor Musella announced the arrests of five defendants charged in connection with this case, as well as other armed robberies. Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad continued investigating and determined that JOSE SANTANA TORRES was also involved in the armed robbery ring, specifically by participating in the Edgewater incident.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, JOSE SANTANA TORRES was charged with first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); fourth-degree aggravated assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b(4); third-degree theft, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3a; and second-degree conspiracy to commit armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2a(1)/2C:15-1a(1). SANTANA TORRES is presently incarcerated in the Westchester, NY County Jail on an unrelated matter, and will be detained there pending extradition to the State of New Jersey.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella thanks the Edgewater Police Department, Palisades Park Police Department, the Port Authority Police Department, the New York City Police Department, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the Westchester, NY Department of Corrections, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance with this lengthy investigation.
