Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey announced that a grand jury in Middlesex County handed up five indictments today, charging six individuals with having various roles in five home invasions that targeted families of Asian-Indian descent in Old Bridge, Edison and South Plainfield.
The indictments, handed up in New Brunswick, charge all six defendants with conspiracy to commit bias intimidation, robbery and burglary for selecting the five families whose homes were ransacked at gunpoint between October 20, 2014 and November 29, 2014.
A total of 103 counts are included in the five indictments and, in addition to conspiracy, charge the defendants with counts of bias intimidation, burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, terroristic threats, criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, and hindering their own apprehension. Not all of the defendants are charged with all the counts in the indictments, but are accused of various charges in the indictments, depending on their roles in some, or all of the home invasions.
The defendants were identified by the grand jury as Chaka Castro, also known as Catina Dennings, 39, Juan Olaya, 34, Octavius Scott, 22, Johnisha Williams, 19, and Justin Haynes-Johnson, 25, all of Houston, Tex., and Jakeyra Augustus, 21, of North Texas City, Tex.
Bail has been set for each of the defendants at $1.25 million.
During investigation authorities determined that Castro targeted specific homes in the three Middlesex County communities and then directed her co-defendants to commit the crimes. Scott and Olaya entered each of the homes at gunpoint, restrained the families, and fled with stolen items in each of the five home invasions. They also threatened homeowners and smashed cell phones to prevent victims from calling police. In all but the home invasion in Old Bridge on November 29, 2014, Williams waited outside the homes and drove their accomplices from the crime scenes. In addition to the November 29, 2014, home invasion, the defendants were charged with committing home invasions in Old Bridge on October 20, 2014, and October 26, 2014, in South Plainfield on October 28, 2014, and in Edison on October 30, 2014. The investigation is active and is continuing.
Anyone with information is urged to call their local police, or Agent Selesky of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3439, or Detective Maryotta of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745- 3331.