Police: NY Man Arrested Following Violent Burglary, Assault

A Bronx man with a history of violent crimes was arrested by Englewood police Wednesday after cops say he attempted to burglarize one home and then assaulted and robbed a city woman Wednesday.

Ibn Jabbar Lee, 35, is being held in Bergen County Jail in lieu of $1 million cash bail on charges of first degree kidnapping, first degree armed robbery, second degree armed burglary, third degree aggravated assault, third degree resisting arrest, third degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. 

At about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, a housekeeper working in a Thornton Road home in the 1st Ward heard the doorbell ring but did not answer it, according to Detective Capt. Timothy Torell of the Criminal Investigations Bureau. 

Moments later she saw a masked man bust through a set of exterior doors. The man spotted the woman, Torell said, and turned and ran from the area without taking anything. 

The woman didn't call police, but instead called the homeowner, who phoned authorities. 

Police said that officers were working on the initial investigation at 1 p.m., when the department received a  911 call from a nearby Johnson Avenue resident who said her home had just been burglarized by a masked man who threatened and assaulted her. The woman, alone in her home, told police she was expecting a package and opened her door when her doorbell rang. The detective said the man forced his way inside the house, assaulted the resident, intimated he had a handgun and led the woman throughout the house while placing cash, jewelry and other valuables in bags. He then ordered her into a room and instructed her to wait a specific amount of time before coming out. 

The woman called police right away and patrol units arrived soon after, Torell continued. Officer Rhakeem Stennett spotted the man darting across Booth Avenue and through residential yards and saw he was still carrying what police believed to be the bags of loot from the home. Police units from Tenafly, Englewood Cliffs and Englewood flooded the area and contained the man in a relatively small area. 

As the officers began to move in, Torell said, Englewood Officer Matthew Zeuner saw the man and pursued him on foot. He was finally stopped after being tackled by Zeuner, Englewood Det. Adolfo Gutierrez, Englewood Cliffs Police Chief Michael Cioffi, Englewood Cliffs Sgt. Collin Ford and Englewood Officer Daniel O’Shea. All of the proceeds from the home were recovered, police said. 

Lee has a long history of violent crime that dates back to 1993, according to Torell. He has been arrested in New York, Connecticut and Virginia and is on federal probation for a 2002 arrest for conspiracy to commit murder for hire. 

The woman’s injuries were relatively minor and no weapon was recovered, according to Torell. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Unit also responded and assisted in the investigation. It is believed the man had at least one accomplice in a vehicle at the time of the burglaries that was able to escape the area. That investigation is ongoing, police said.

"This was an excellent job by all of the officers involved and a classic example of how well the different Police Departments throughout Bergen County work with each other on a daily basis," said Torell.