By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Somerset County announced the arrest of Oscar Juarez-Perfecto, age 18, Phillips Road, Franklin Township, and the arrest of a Middlesex County juvenile male, age 17, in relation to a robbery that occurred in Franklin Township on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald stated that at approximately 1:24 p.m. on Thursday, November 9, 2023, Franklin Township Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting that two males in a SUV were having an altercation with another male in the area of Claremont Road in Franklin Township.
Officials said the caller reported that one of the males appeared to be in possession of a handgun.
According to officials, the officers from the Franklin Township Police Department responded to the call.
Authorities say upon responding, Franklin Township Police officers located the alleged SUV and the two suspects in the area, detaining them for further investigation.
Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to investigate, officials say.
Prosecutor McDonald stated that an investigation was conducted, which revealed that the driver of the SUV, a juvenile male who was one of the individuals detained by the Franklin Township Police officers, drove up to a male on Claremont Road, brandished a handgun and demanded the victim’s money and cellular telephone.
The passenger of the SUV, also detained by Franklin Township Police officers and identified as Oscar Juarez-Perfecto, also jumped out of the SUV and brandished a handgun.
A vape pen was taken from the victim, but no injuries were sustained resulting from the robbery.
Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Franklin Township Police Department were able to recover the two handguns that were used during the robbery, officials stated.
According to officials, defendant Oscar Juarez-Perfecto and the juvenile were both arrested and charged with 1st-degree Robbery, 2nd-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and 2nd-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
Defendant Juarez-Perfecto was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing in this matter, officials say.
Authorities say the juvenile defendant was lodged in the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center pending a family court appearance.