Newark Police announced the arrest of two brothers who posed as immigration officers to beat and rob a man of $1,300 and assault a friend who came to his aid.
Officials say Kevin Caetano, 33, and his brother, Jonathan, 28, of Parlin, were arrested after police spotted their car, which was photographed at the robbery scene by a witness.
“This kind of crime puts unnecessary fear in our immigrant community,” said Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose. “We responded quickly and made a quick arrest to help alleviate those fears.”
Officials say the victims were riding on McWhorter Street at about 1:30 a.m. on April 15th, when a Hyundai Sonata cut them off and angled to a stop so the victim couldn’t pass. The victim said several men jumped out and approached his car, claiming they were immigration officers and ordered him out of his car.
Seeing the men had no uniforms or insignias and were dressed in civilian clothes, the victim refused to comply.
According to the victim, the men pulled him out of the car and struck him in the face several times before rifling his pockets and taking his wallet which contained $1,300 in cash. When a friend came to the victim’s aid, he, too, was struck several times in the face. Police spotted the brother’s car in the vicinity and they were detained.
Both were charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer as well as robbery.