A Rahway man was arrested last Thursday, and a co-conspirator remains at large after they were criminally charged with an armed home invasion robbery in Elizabeth on March 2nd, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel, Elizabeth Police Director Earl J. Graves, and Elizabeth Police Chief Giacomo Sacca jointly announced Friday.
A month after the incident occurred, police said Mr. Herby Desir, 34, of Rahway, and Emmanuel Rivera, 33, of Carteret, are both charged with three counts of first-degree robbery, one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of possession of a gun for illegal purposes; 1 count of third-degree criminal restraint, and one count of second-degree conspiracy in connection with the home invasion.
Shortly after 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 2nd, members of the Elizabeth Police Department responded to a home on Summit Road, near the intersection of Colonia Road, and found the elderly homeowner -- who had been restrained by the assailants – with another resident who had discovered the victim in the home and cut her loose.
She had been held at gunpoint during the robbery, from which Desir and Rivera fled and made off with the victim’s valuables.
A joint investigation by the Elizabeth Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence-Driven Prosecution Unit, and with the assistance of the Rahway Police Department, resulted in the identification of Desir and Rivera as the robbery suspects. Desir was arrested on March 24th in Rahway without incident.
He remains in the County Jail pending further Court proceedings. Rivera remains at large.
Emmanuel Rivera is a 33-year-old Hispanic male, standing approximately 5’8”, weighing about 160 lbs. He has short brown hair and brown eyes. He has tattoos along his left wrist, his right shoulder and bicep area, and across his chest.
Anyone with information about this matter or the whereabouts of Emmanuel Rivera is urged to contact Elizabeth Police Detective Louis Demondo at 908-558-2100 or Prosecutor’s Office Detective Katelyn Prata at 908-447-6195.
Anyone coming in contact with Rivera should refrain from approaching or confronting him and contact the police immediately.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org; submission of tips made in this fashion that result in an indictment and conviction can be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 via the Union County Crime Stoppers.
Convictions of crimes of the first degree are commonly punishable by terms of between 10 and 20 years in state prison.
Second-degree crimes carry terms of between 5 and 10 years, and those of the third-degree, between 3 and 5 years.
These criminal charges are mere accusations.
Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.