Police arrested two 19-year-old men from Linden last night following an armed robbery of a Cranford gas station. Terrell Bagley, 19, and Bey Udraka, 19, both of Linden, allegedly pulled a handgun at the Shell gas station on Raritan Road shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday night.
According to police, after robbers requested gas, Udraka exited the vehicle and displayed a handgun, demanding cash from the attendant before fleeing the scene on foot. The vehicle exited the lot in the same direction. Moments later, a 9-1-1 call reporting the incident was received. Detective Derek Farbanec observed the suspect vehicle, occupied by two males, entering the Garden State Parkway northbound.
Detective Farbanec was able to follow the suspects in an unmarked police vehicle as they exited the Parkway and drove around various side streets, eventually pulling into an Exxon gas station on West First Avenue in Roselle.
Additional marked police units arrived and vehicle was stopped.
Both the driver, Bagley and the passenger, Udraka, were taken into custody without incident by Det. Farbanec, Sgt. Frank Williams, and members of the Roselle Police Department. Officers recovered a BB pistol from inside the vehicle, as well as a small amount of cash.
Both suspects were processed at Cranford Police Headquarters and were charged with robbery, a first degree crime, and multiple weapons offenses.
Bail was set at $100,000 and both subjects were transported to the Union County Jail pending a court appearance on Friday, December 19, 2014. According to Chief James Wozniak, the case was resolved quickly due to good police work and inter-agency communication. “We won’t tolerate this type of criminal activity in our neighborhoods, and we will utilize every resource we have to successfully resolve or prevent these incidents,” he stated.