JERSEY CITY – The Jersey City Police Department’s Gang Task Force conducted an early morning operation on April 5 executing arrest warrants on a dozen of the city’s most violent offenders, according to a release from city spokesperson Jennifer Morrill. Several of them are teenagers.
The task force was formed in November 2015 by Chief Philip Zacche and Director James Shea in response to the ongoing violence between two rival factions in Jersey City.
The task force commanded by Lt. Stephen Trowbridge (Street Crimes Unit) and Lt. Michael Gajewski (Major Case Squad) was a joint operation consisting of officers from the JCPD Street Crimes Unit, the JCPD Major Case Squad, the JCPD Cease Fire Unit, the JCPD Criminal Warrants Squad, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Gang Unit, the N.J. State Police, and the United States Marshals.
The release said the operation combined traditional policing techniques along with innovative technological advancements in an attempt to dismantle the gangs’ leadership and damage its ability to illegally sell narcotics and weapons.The five-month-long investigation into the rival gang activities has resulted in 134 arrests and the recovery of 14 illegal handguns as well as large quantities of illegal narcotics.
This investigation is ongoing and future arrests are expected by the task force.
According to the city release, Daquan Edwards of Van Nostrand Avenue, 19, Rashaun Bell of Princeton Avenue, 19, and Frederick Barnett of Bostwick Avenue, also 19 were charged with Gang Criminality. All three were born within a month of each other in 1997.
Other people charged are as follows — noting that thus far, these are only allegations: Stefan Alexandre of Seaview Avenue, 21, unlawful possession of a weapon, minor in possession of a weapon; Frederick Thomas of MLK Drive, 20, conspiracy to unlawfully possess a weapon, possession of CDS; William Conyers of Wegman Parkway, 20, gang criminality, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault; Kenny Harrigan of Clerk Street, 19, conspiracy to unlawfully possess a weapon; Rafael Gomez of Summit Avenue, 18, conspiracy to unlawfully possess a weapon, possession of a firearm by a minor.
Also charged were Samuel Washington of Myrtle Avenue, 27, gang criminality; Gerald Hagood of Pearsall Avenue, 20, conspiracy to possess CDS; Laquan Clark of Woodlawn Avenue, 31, three counts of conspiracy to unlawfully possess a weapon, Gang Criminality, conspiracy to possess CDS, conspiracy to possess CDS with the intent to distribute, possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS within 1000 ft of a school; and Jamie Franklin of Dwight Street, 17, gang criminality, conspiracy to possess CDS with the intent to distribute, six counts of conspiracy to unlawfully possess weapons, six counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, four counts of conspiracy to possess CDS, one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
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