Hackensack Man Convicted For Role In Hudson County Armed Robbery Spree
Wednesday, October 30, 2024, 3:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
JERSEY CITY, NJ.- Following a two-week trial in Hudson County Superior Court on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, a Hudson County Jury convicted a 37-year-old Bergen County man on multiple charges for his role in a Hudson County, New Jersey armed robbery spree in 2022.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, Joel Krecz, 37, of Hackensack, New Jersey, was found guilty of four counts of Armed Robbery; one count of Robbery; five counts of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; five counts of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; five counts of Theft; one count of Aggravated Assault; one count of Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Large Capacity Magazine; one count of Possession of Hollow Point Bullets; Krecz was acquitted on a second count of Arrgraved Assault.
Krecz Faces Decades In Prison When Sentenced
Following the finding of guilt, Superior Court Judge John A. Young accepted the jury’s verdict and filed it with the court. Judge Young tentatively scheduled Krecz to be sentenced on January 17, 2025, at which time, due to the nature and the number of crimes, Krecz faces decades in New Jersey State Prison.
The charges and conviction stem from four armed robberies that occurred between the overnight hours of Friday, April 29, 2022, and Saturday, April 30, 2022. In each of the incidents, a handgun was brandished, and money was demanded from the clerks employed at the businesses.
Following a joint investigation, the Jersey City Police Department, Union City Police Department, the Secaucus Police Department, the Hoboken Police Department, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs Task Force were able to identify Krecz as the suspect in the robberies. Following being identified, on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, Krecz was apprehended in Jersey City, New Jersey, while in possession of a handgun.
The armed robberies occurred at a Liquor Store on Summit Avenue in Jersey City on Saturday, April 30, 2022, a Gas Station on Route 3 in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 30, 2022, a Paterson Plank Road Business in Union City on Saturday, April 30, 2022, and a Liquor Store on Willow Avenue in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 30, 2022.
