Paramus Borough, N.J. – The New Jersey State Police have arrested Cashovey McCallum, 20, of Newark, and a 17-year-old juvenile male from Irvington, for allegedly robbing and assaulting an Uber driver on the Garden State Parkway in Paramus Borough, Bergen County.
On Saturday, August 3, Saka Akinkunle was working as an Uber driver when he picked up two passengers in Irvington Township, Essex County. Shortly after getting into the car, the passengers requested to change their destination. Akinkunle advised them to enter the new address in the Uber mobile app.
The passengers stated that their cell phones were dead and requested to borrow Akinkunle’s phone. While the suspects had the driver’s cell phone, they made an unauthorized electronic funds transfer from Akinkunle’s Uber account into an unknown account.
When Mr. Akinkule realized that his earnings for the day were transferred and all of his text messages deleted, he stopped his car on the Parkway exit ramp and confronted the passengers. The passengers then physically assaulted Akinkule and brandished a handgun before fleeing from the scene on foot. After the assault, Mr. Akinkule went to the State Police Bloomfield Station on the Garden State Parkway to report the incident.
After a two-week investigation, which included viewing several hours of video surveillance footage, McCallum and the juvenile were identified as suspects.
On Wednesday, August 21, detectives from Troop “D” Criminal Investigation Office with assistance from Newark Police Department detectives, located McCallum in Newark and arrested him without incident.
On Friday, August 23, State Police detectives, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, located and arrested the juvenile suspect in Newark.
Cashovey McCallum and the juvenile suspect were charged with robbery, aggravated assault, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, theft of services, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and making terroristic threats.
McCallum was lodged in Bergen County Jail and the juvenile was lodged in the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center.
Charges are mere accusations and the accused are considered innocent until proven guilty.