Early Wednesday morning, at the Red Roof Inn in Hartford Connecticut, law enforcement officials closed in on 18-year-old Juan Rojas of Philadelphia. They arrested him and charged him with the murder of 20 year-old Jersey City resident Jose Pacheco, who was walking home from his Hoboken job two weeks ago when he was stabbed to death, according to Hudson County prosecutor Edward DeFazio.
Rojas and a 15-year-old Hoboken youth, who was charged a few days after the murder, are being accused of fatally stabbing Pacheco as he returned home around 1 a.m., DeFazio said Thursday. DeFazio said that Pacheco was stabbed on Mountain Road in Jersey City after he walked up through the Palisade hills in Hoboken. According to the prosecutor, Pacheco died as a result of losing a critical amount of blood. He was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken.
Pacheco worked as a dishwasher at the Mile Square Bar and Grill on Washington Street in Hoboken.
According to DeFazio, the arrest was part of cooperative investigation that included the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive’s Task Force, and the Hartford Police Department.
Rojas appeared before a Hartford judge Wednesday and waived extradition to New Jersey. He then appeared before a judge in Jersey City Thursday, where his bail was set at $7 million, said DeFazio. He added that the bail was set high because of the severity of the crime and because Rojas, from Philadelphia, may be an extreme flight risk.
The prosecutor said his office is still investigating and establishing the motive for the crime. He said that it is known that that there was no previous relationship between the victim and the suspects. DeFazio added that it is possible that the murder was the result of a botched robbery. However, when Pacheco was found, he still had on him a substantial amount of cash and a paycheck. Both teenagers were part of a four-man group that attacked Pacheco, DeFazio said.
Rumors have said that the crime was gang-related, and DeFazio said Thursday that that is a strong possibility. But he said it would be premature to speculate any further.
“The U.S. Marshall Fugitive’s Task force and the Hartford Police Department deserve a lot of praise,” said DeFazio Thursday. “Only through their good investigative work [was Rojas] able to be apprehended.”
Housing Authority and police agree on supplemental patrols
The Hoboken Housing Authority, the city, and the Hoboken Police Department recently agreed to a $144,000 annual renewable contract to supply the Hoboken Housing Authority with supplemental patrols, said City Council President Ruben Ramos Thursday.
The HHA oversees the city’s approximately 1,300 federally subsidized units of low-income housing, primarily located in the southwest part of the city. The HHA answers to the federal department of Housing and Urban Development and is not city-run, but the City Council and mayor appoint some of the commissioners.
Ramos, who is also a commissioner of the HHA’s seven-member appointed board, said the money will be spent on two officers to make vertical patrols of the buildings in the HHA. The added foot patrols will work in cooperation with the HHA’s private security firm and will be responsible for climbing the steps of the projects and securing their interiors. As a bonus, Police Chief Carmen LaBruno has said that in addition to the two officers assigned to the vertical patrols, the HPD will assign two additional foot patrol officers to the area, with the HPD picking up the costs.
“We are trying to be aggressive and attack crime before it has a chance to fester and spread,” said Ramos.
He added that the relationship between the city and officials from the HHA has been showing steady signs of improvement. “At first it was pretty contentious,” said Ramos. “But we have been able to put aside our professional differences and work together.”
Ramos also announced the city still plans on opening a “mini-precinct” in the HHA. According to him, the HHA will provide the space on its property. He said an official announcement should happen in the next couple months.
Fourth Ward Councilman Christopher Campos, in whose ward the majority of the HHA is located, said Friday the supplemental officers are welcomed. “It’s a real step forward,” he said. “I’m glad everyone was able to come to an understanding. This is what the community wanted and needed and it is good to see that the city, Housing Authority and the Hoboken Police Department are now working together.” – Tom Jennemann