Now that a homeless man is in custody in connection with the murder of a Downtown Jersey City woman last week, investigators want to know how he got into the locked apartment building in the Paulus Hook section of the city.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday morning that Martey J. Williams, 41, was formally charged in the stabbing murder of Jacqueline Reyes, 27, in her apartment on Dec. 8 in the Paulus Hook Towers, 100 Montgomery St. He also allegedly stabbed Reyes’ 9-month-old son, Ivan Reyes Jr., who is in stable condition at University Hospital in Newark.
Ms. Reyes was buried in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City on Monday.
Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said Williams is believed to be homeless, with a last known address in Newark, but “had been in the building on a number of occasions.” He was rumored to have lived under a stairwell in the building.
“Nobody feels safe in this building anymore.” – Gloria Correa
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DeFazio said that Williams was apprehended by Jersey City police Sunday morning Dec. 13 at Exchange Place, after he was denied entry into the building when he tried to reenter.
DeFazio said he allegedly resisted arrest when police stopped him for questioning and he had to be subdued.
DeFazio said police were able to establish, based on their investigation, that Williams resembled a person seen on building security cameras on the day of the murder.
Williams was first kept at Jersey City Medical Center for evaluation then taken to the Hudson County jail. But he will be transferred to the Anne Klein Forensic Center in Trenton in the near future for further evaluation after being judged a “danger to himself and others.” Bail for Williams has been set at $1 million.
The capture was little consolation to the 200 tenants who packed the community room of Paulus Hook Towers Tuesday night to vent their anger and concerns about security in the building.
Making their building safer
Residents had a lot to say during Tuesday’s emergency meeting. Several said they want the building’s management company, Westgate Management, to improve security.
The 23-story, 308-unit low- and moderate-income building opened in 1974 under the co-ownership of the Hispanic social service organization PACO and the Ukrainian National Association.
The Ukrainian Weekly newspaper in a March 1974 issue described “four guards on duty around the clock, seven days a week, patrolling the lobby and grounds, and the main door is always locked.”
Tuesday night, residents said there were no security guards at the desk during the day before 4 p.m. They also cited people other than tenants having keys and getting access into people’s apartments, and complained that there were not enough security cameras.
Jersey City Police Sgt. John McClellan gave out printouts with safety tips and encouraged residents to take safety precautions of their own, such as having a tenant watch.
“All of you play a huge part in your safety; we’re our own worst enemy,” McClellan said.
McClellan also said based on the size of the building, there should be “24-hour security” with two security officers on duty at all times – one at the door and one patrolling the building – and alarms at exits.
Freddie Robinson Jr., a two-year resident, suggested eliminating keys and having tenants issued resident I.Ds, and moving the intercom system from the vestibule and into the lobby under the supervision of a security guard.
Some at the meeting complained about what they said was Westgate’s failure to implement security measures almost two years ago after a vicious attack on a tenant.
In January of 2008, Gloria Correa, 22, was returning from Manhattan on a late night. She suffered a fractured skull after an attacker hit her with an iron pipe and then dragged her to a nearby stairwell. She was left in a pool of blood until she was discovered four hours later. The attacker was never found.
Back then, Councilman Steven Fulop offered to pay for new locks to be installed throughout the building, an offer Westgate never responded to. Fulop said the offer still stood, and also offered to help the building’s management bring in a professional security firm to do an audit of the security problems in the building.
Conspicuously absent from the meeting were Westgate representatives. Margaret Brown, president of the building’s tenant association, said after the meeting they were invited to attend but did not respond.
Hoping for the best
Gloria Correa, the victim from two years ago, attended Tuesday’s meeting.
She said there was no security on duty the night of her attack, just like the day of Jacqueline Reyes’ murder.
“I hope everything that was said tonight gets done, that it’s not just talk,” Correa said. “Nobody feels safe in this building anymore.”
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.