Four Newark Men Indicted For 2024 Union Violent Home Invasion
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 10:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
UNION, NJ.- On Friday, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel reported on May 8, 2025, that a Grand Jury sitting in Union County, New Jersey, returned an indictment charging four Essex County, New Jersey, men in connection with the violent home invasion and robbery of an elderly Union Township, New Jersey in September 2024.
The grand jury returned the indictment against Asim Key, 21, Rahiem Maldonado, 23, Altamir Thornton, 23, and Yashir Phillips, 20, all of Newark, New Jersey, charging all four with first-degree Carjacking; first-degree Robbery; second-degree Arson; second-degree Burglary; two counts of second-degree Aggravated Assault; two counts of third-degree Burglary; two counts of third-degree Theft; and fourth-degree Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution. Additionally, Key faces additional narcotics offenses related to his arrest.
According To Charging Information Unsealed In The Indictment
According to Assistant Union County Prosecutor Christopher Desimone and charging information unsealed in the indictment, it is alleged that on September 20, 2024, during the early morning hours, four masked men entered a Scott Court home of an elderly couple. Upon encountering the residents, all four defendants assault them before fleeing with a vehicle, purse, and cash belonging to the elderly couple.
The indictment further alleges that all four defendants fled the Scott Court home and set the stolen car they used to drive to the home invasion of fire in Newark, New Jersey.
During the ensuing investigation, Detectives from the Union Township Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office uncovered a series of crimes committed by all four defendants in multiple communities. After linking the four to the home invasion and robbery, all four were charged.
Maldonado, Thornton, and Phillips were arrested in Bergen County for a separate incident in November 2024 and are currently being detained in the Bergen County Jail, where they were served with the warrant and charges on February 13, 2025. Key was taken into custody and charged on February 19, 2025, and is currently detained on the charges in the Essex County Correctional Facility.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
