Sheriff Offers Reward in Krauszer's Armed Robbery

The Essex County Sheriff's Office posted a $5,000 cash reward on Thursday for information that leads to the arrest of two men wanted in connection with 11 armed robberies of convenience stores, liquor stores and gas stations in towns in three North Jersey counties since Feb. 1, Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.

The pair has been identified as the two allegedly involved in an April 23 armed robbery at the West Orange Krauszer's on Central Avenue, where two men , the sheriff's office said.

In the store robberies, the robbers have tied up the store clerks with zip-ties while cleaning out the cash register, Fontoura said.

One of the men has been identified as having robbed and shot the owner of MS&K Confectionery at 745 Prospect St. on April 1, said Fontoura. 

"We believe the man in the Belleville photos is the same as the man in Maplewood," said Det. Lt. Michael Marucci of the Maplewood Police Department. Marucci said the man in the Maplewood robbery and shooting carried the same bag and was wearing the same hat.

The man was also recently identified as allegedly robbing a Belleville convenience store on April 14 and being part of a two-man armed robbery at a liquor store in Linden on April 17. In both incidents, the man was carrying a red messenger bag on his shoulder, which contained zip-ties he used to tie the clerk in Linden.

Authorities released four surveillance photos of the man in the Belleville robbery, which are attached to this article.

He is described as black, wearing reading-type glasses, a black baseball cap with a black Boston Red Sox logo and a gold sticker on the brim, having multiple tattoos on both forearms. He has a large build and is approximately 6'2 and 225 pounds. In two of the photos, he is carrying a red messenger bag with a black stripe across it and in one he is wearing black mechanic style gloves.

He is seen carrying a large silver automatic pistol, possibly .45 caliber. The man was seen circling the block in a dark compact car, which was captured on store and neighbor video surveillance, with the car possibly having a rear donut or rear tire without a hubcap.

Among the locations robbed are:

•             Feb. 1, 2013 – convenience store in Linden 
•             Feb. 1, 2013 – gas station in Newark 
•             Feb. 2, 2013 – Shoppers Express in Belleville 
•             Feb. 11, 2013 – Krauszer’s in Kearny 
•             Feb. 13, 2013 – Krauszer’s in Bloomfield 
•             Feb. 19, 2013 – convenience store in Newark 
•             March 29, 2013 – Krauszer’s in Bloomfield 
•             Apr. 1, 2013 – liquor store in Maplewood (clerk shot in chest) 
•             Apr. 17, 2013 – convenience store in Belleville 
•             Apr. 17, 2013 – liquor store in Linden 
•             Apr. 24, 2013 – Krauszer’s in West Orange

Anyone able to identify the man or requesting further info is asked to contact Belleville Det. Joseph Mundy at 973-450-3351, Kearny Police Det. Sgt. John View at 862-215-5803 or Maplewood Police Det. Ray Rosania at 973-761-7927. All calls will be kept confidential.

This is the second time the sheriff's office has posted a cash reward in connection with the Maplewood shooting. The first, released on April 10, was for $2,500.

For more information on the reward offer contact the Essex County Sheriff’s Office at 973-621-4105; For more information about the armed robberies contact the detectives listed above or the municipal police department.