By: Richard L. Smith
Bergen County authorities announced the arrests of three men in connection with an armed robbery that occurred in East Rutherford during the early morning hours of July 8, 2025.
According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella and East Rutherford Police Chief Dennis Rivelli, a routine patrol officer responded to a woman’s screams for help just after 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of Paterson Avenue and Clifton Avenue.
As the officer approached, he spotted two masked men dressed in dark clothing pointing guns at a woman seated inside her car. The suspects fled on foot as police closed in.
The victim managed to escape from the car but was physically assaulted as she attempted to run away.
One suspect pushed her to the ground and tried to silence her before fleeing.
Shortly after the incident, officers located and arrested 24-year-old Jamil N. Tuncer of Wallington, NJ, not far from the scene.
Investigators with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and East Rutherford detectives launched a multi-agency investigation to track down the remaining suspects.
The two-month investigation revealed that a third person acted as the getaway driver in a black Dodge Durango, dropping off the gunmen prior to the attempted robbery.
Detectives later identified 23-year-old Jakub P. Lepianka and 27-year-old Michael A. Rodriguez, both of Passaic, as the other two suspects involved.
Tuncer was booked into Bergen County Jail, where he remains in custody. Lepianka, who was already being held in New York on unrelated charges, awaits extradition.
Rodriguez was arrested in early September with the help of state parole officers and was also placed in Bergen County Jail.
The investigation remains ongoing.