Media Release
CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Capt. Michael Gaimari
Bridgeton Police
856-381-7041
609-381-4917
BRIDGETON POLICE CHARGE FIVE IN
TWO HOMICIDES
Bridgeton police Thursday
charged five North Jersey men in connection with two homicides in the city last
month that were tied to two illegal brothels one of which was the target of an
investigation being conducted by the federal Dept. of Homeland Security and the
Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.
Juan Freddy Hernandez, 36,
of Passaic; Aris Tejada, 22, of New Brunswick; Ricardo Then-Flete, 22, also of
New Brunswick, Andy Reyes, 18, of Somerset and Antonio Estrella, 30, of New
Brunswick were charged as a result of an investigation conducted by Bridgeton
detectives and investigators from the county prosecutor’s office with the
assistance of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force, the
New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center, and the
Clifton, New Brunswick and North Brunswick police departments.
Bridgeton police Capt.
Michael Gaimari said Friday all of the suspects are in custody in either
Middlesex, Essex or Cumberland county correctional institutions on charges
signed by Bridgeton Dets. Kenneth Leyman and Michael Vit.
According to police,
Hernandez, Then-Flete and Tejada, are charged in connection with the shooting
death of Jose Ortiz, 24, of N. Laurel St. Aug. 16th on Bank St. Further
investigation revealed that the victim was allegedly connected to an illegal
brothel on Henry St. in the city under the direction of Hernandez, who is also
charged with orchestrating the murder.
Police said Hernandez,
Then-Flete, Tejada, Reyes and Estrella are charged in connection with the Aug.
30th murder of 32-year-old Eduardo Bernal who was found stabbed in an apartment
also being utilized as a brothel near the intersection of Washington and N.
Pearl Street in the city.
“This was and continues to
be a far-reaching, exhaustive and difficult investigation that involved a lot
of time and effort from detectives from this department at the prosecutor’s
office along with the other cooperating agencies throughout the state,” Gaimari
said Friday, “it epitomizes how law enforcement investigates these type of
crimes despite the jurisdictional boundaries and all involved should be
commended for their efforts.”
According to police,
Tejada was taken into custody last Friday in Middlesex County by local, state
and Cumberland County detectives who joined federal Homeland Security
authorities in arrests of several individuals tied to a human trafficking
investigation that federal agency was conducting. Hernandez was taken into custody on federal
charges that day as well. Reyes was already incarcerated at the Middlesex
County Jail on unrelated charges and Then-Flete and Estrella were arrested in
New Brunswick this past Tuesday and Thursday respectively with the assistance
of New Brunswick police.
According to reports,
Hernandez is charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery and
conspiracy to commit robbery with reference to the N. Pearl St. incident on
Aug. 30th and murder, conspiracy to commit murder and promotion of organized
street crime in connection with the Aug. 16th murder. His bail was set at $1
million by state Superior Court Judge Robert Malestein and he remains in
federal custody at the Essex County Jail.
Tejada is also charged
with two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses for
both the Aug. 16th and Aug. 30th incidents with a bail set by Judge Malestein
at $750,000 and he is currently lodged in the Middlesex County Jail. Reyes was
also similarly charged with the murder, conspiracy and weapons counts for both
incidents in addition to robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges with
reference to the Aug. 30th N. Pearl St. incident. His bail was set at $500,000
and he too remains in the Middlesex County Jail.
Then-Flete has also been
charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with both
incidents in addition to robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges also
associated with the Aug. 30th homicide. He is lodged in the Cumberland County
Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. Estrella is charged with conspiracy to commit
murder with regards to the Aug. 30th incident and is also incarcerated in the
Middlesex County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Gaimari said the local
brothels had not been in operation for an extended period of time and that the
Henry St. location had been targeted by county and local authorities in June of
this year and shut down but had apparently re-opened in late July. He said the
N. Pearl St. location had only been operating for a couple of weeks prior to
the Aug. 30th homicide.
Police Chief Mark Ott
added that “the department once again proves itself as efficient and capable
with the successful investigations and arrests. I thank all agencies involved
for their cooperation and everyone proved themselves as excellent
investigators. I hope that as we move into the future, more of the public will
get involved in actively reporting suspicious circumstances. Regardless of how
mundane the situation seems, and especially when your instincts tell you
something is wrong, call the police or utilize the TIP411 text option!”
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To learn
more about the City of Bridgeton please visit www.cityofbridgeton.com
Use anonymous TIP411 Text
Service to report crime by texting “Bridgeton” plus your tip to 847411