By: Tracie Carter
Authorities have announced the indictment of four Newark men in connection with a violent home invasion that left an elderly couple injured in Union Township last fall.
The suspects face a wide range of criminal charges following a months-long investigation spanning multiple counties.
According to a statement released by Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Union Police Director Christopher Donnelly, the defendants—identified as Asim Key, 21; Rahiem Maldonado, 23; Altamir Thornton, 23; and Yashir Phillips, 20—were formally indicted on May 8, 2025.
Charges include first-degree carjacking and robbery, second-degree arson and burglary, aggravated assault, theft, and hindering prosecution.
Officials said Key is also facing additional drug-related charges stemming from his arrest.
The charges stem from a September 20, 2024, home invasion on Scott Court, where the four masked suspects allegedly forced entry into the home of an elderly couple in the early morning hours.
The residents were assaulted, and the suspects fled with personal belongings, including a vehicle, cash, and a purse.
Investigators later determined that the suspects torched the vehicle they used in the crime shortly after the attack, setting it on fire in Newark.
The investigation, led by Union Township Police Detective William Young and supported by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Unit, uncovered a broader pattern of criminal activity involving the suspects in other jurisdictions.
Maldonado, Thornton, and Phillips were initially arrested in Bergen County in connection with an unrelated incident in November 2024 and have remained in custody at the Bergen County Jail.
Warrants related to the Union Township case were served on them in February 2025. Key was taken into custody separately on February 19 and is being held in Essex County Jail.
Anyone with further information is urged to contact the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Unit Sergeant Katelyn Prata at 908-447-6195 or Union Police Detective William Young at 908-851-5037.