A Union County jury has returned a guilty verdict against a Pennsylvania man responsible for the violent 2015 robbery of a Hillside car wash.
According to authorities, Timothy Chambers, 51, of the borough of Delaware Water Gap, Pa., was convicted of a single count of first-degree robbery following a two-week trial before state Superior Court Judge Stuart Peim and a little more than five hours of jury deliberation.
Police said at approximately 2:30 p.m. on March 17th, Chambers and another man entered Prestige Auto Wash on Liberty Avenue in Hillside and asked the manager for change of $3, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutors Jessica Guarducci and Kathleen Dillon, who prosecuted the case. Chambers then followed the manager into his office, brandished a handgun, and began trying to wrestle a bag containing money away from him, Guarducci and Dillon said.
Following a brief struggle, Chambers struck the manager over the head with his gun, grabbed the bag, and fled the scene with the second suspect.
Approximately one month later, members of the Hillside Police Department arrested Chambers without incident. The other robbery suspect today remains unidentified and at large.
Sentencing in this case has been scheduled for Friday, February 16, 2018, when Chambers will be exposed to an extended term of up to life in state prison under the provisions of New Jersey’s “three strikes” law, which applies to defendants with multiple convictions associated with violent crimes.