Elizabeth Police have ended their search for Emmanuel Rivera, the 33-year-old Carteret man who was wanted in connection with a March 2 armed home invasion robbery at an Elizabeth residence on Summit Road, near the intersection of Colonia Road.
Rivera was captured on a golf course in Puerto Rico, and while authorities are waiting on his extradition, they expect he will face justice in a Union County courtroom.
Rivera and Herby Desir, 34, of Rahway, are both criminally charged with 3 counts of first-degree robbery, 1 count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, 1 count of possession of a firearm for unlawful purposes; 1 count of third-degree criminal restraint, and 1 count of second-degree conspiracy in connection with the home invasion.
Shortly after 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 2 officers of the Elizabeth Police Department responded to the Summit Road home, where they found the elderly homeowner — who had been restrained by the assailants – with another resident who had discovered the victim in the home and cut her loose.
The homeowner had been held at gunpoint during the robbery, from which Desir and Rivera fled and made off with the victim’s valuables.
A joint investigation by the Elizabeth Police Department and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Driven Prosecution Unit, and with the assistance of the Rahway Police Department, resulted in the identification of Desir and Rivera as the robbery suspects.
Desir was arrested on March 24 in Rahway without incident. He remains in the county jail pending further court proceedings but Rivera escaped capture before making his way to Puerto Rico.
Desir was previously sentenced to seven years in prison after he pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute narcotic drugs.
Anyone with information about this matter or the whereabouts of Emmanuel Rivera is urged to contact Elizabeth Police Detective Louis Demondo at 908-558-2100 or Prosecutor’s Office Detective Katelyn Prata at 908-447-6195. Anyone coming in contact with Rivera should refrain from approaching or confronting him and should contact the police immediately.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at http://www.uctip.org; submission of tips made in this fashion that result in an indictment and conviction can be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 via the Union County Crime Stoppers.