Thirty-seven minutes, from the crime in Kearny to the arrest in Newark.
Thirty-seven minutes.
That, thanks to good detective work and the help of witnesses, was all the time it took on Wednesday, Feb. 6, for the Kearny police to apprehend the suspect in a robbery of the CVS store at Schuyler and Bergen avenues.
It must be some kind of record.
The short but dramatic saga began at 4:03 p.m., Feb. 6, when KPD Officer Sean Wilson and Dets. John Fabula and Mike Gontarczuk responded to the store on a report that a man had approached a cashier and passed her a note demanding all the money in the register and warning that he had a gun.
The robber reportedly motioned to his waistband as if he had a firearm concealed, but he did not show it. He then fled in a taxicab.
At 4:40 p.m., after tracking that taxi, Det. Cesar Negron and Officer Dave Bush spotted the suspect on the 400 block of Mt. Prospect Avenue in Newark. Police said they were able to tackle him after a short foot chase but had to struggle to get his hands behind his back, at which time a knife fell out of his jacket pocket.
The suspect was identified as Marc Alverson, 30, of Newark. He was charged on a warrant with first-degree robbery. Additional charges in Newark are reportedly pending stemming from his actions during the arrest.
Police said Alverson was also wanted on warrants issued by Essex County (no bail, probation violation for drugs); Belleville ($1,000, possession of heroin) and Jersey City ($100, possession of heroin).
After the arrest, detectives applied for and executed a search warrant at a residence in Newark, recovering evidence and proceeds of the robbery, police said.
The KPD noted: “The detective work that led to this suspect’s arrest in under 40 minutes was bolstered by the cooperation of citizen witnesses who were able to give detailed descriptions to the police. The PD thanks them for their assistance.”
— Karen Zautyk
