By: Richard L. Smith
Newark police have arrested a city resident accused of impersonating a federal immigration officer and robbing victims during late-night encounters in the North Ward earlier this month, authorities said.
According to information released by Director Emanuel Miranda Sr., Julio Garcia Barrera, 44, of Newark, was arrested on January 27, 2026, and charged with robbery and impersonating a public servant.
The investigation began after a man entered the Newark Police Department’s 7th Precinct at approximately 3:34 a.m. on Thursday, January 22, reporting that he had been robbed in the 600 block of North 8th Street.
The victim told officers he was walking when a man driving a dark-colored SUV stopped, exited the vehicle, and used a flashlight to illuminate him.
The suspect allegedly claimed to be an immigration officer while pointing to an emblem on his sweatshirt.
Police said the suspect then placed the victim against a vehicle, searched him, and removed approximately $500 from his wallet before fleeing northbound on North 8th Street toward Davenport Avenue.
In a separate incident reported early Saturday morning, January 24, officers responded to the 200 block of Berkeley Avenue following a theft complaint. 
The victim told police he was walking along North 8th Street toward his vehicle parked on Bloomfield Avenue when two men exited a beige, older-model Jeep.
The passenger remained near the vehicle while the driver approached the victim, shined a flashlight into his face, and asked if he was a U.S. citizen.
The suspect allegedly opened his jacket to display an emblem with yellow letters reading “ICE,” then led the victim to a nearby brick wall, searched him, and took his wallet containing approximately $300, his driver’s license, and a debit card.
The victim fled and later reported that his debit card had been used at multiple gas stations in East Orange.
On January 27, detectives investigating the incidents located Garcia Barrera seated inside a parked vehicle in the 200 block of 1st Avenue, where he was safely taken into custody.
The investigation remains ongoing.