Gang members arrested in connection with Route 27 gas station shooting, carjacking in South Brunswick

Seven gang members have been arrested for the September shooting of a clerk at a Route 27 gas station in Kendall Park and a carjacking just off Route 1 in Monmouth Junction, police said.

The arrests were made after a three-month investigation into a crime spree in Middlesex County that began on Sept. 7 and lasted until Nov. 30. Arrests began on Nov. 29 and continued through Dec. 1. Police arrested suspects in New Brunswick, Franklin Township, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Camden, and Newark. Police did not name the major gang the men belong to.

“The random nature and level of violence this gang of suspects committed is extremely rare for our community,” South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said. “The capture of these suspects is a direct result of the coordination and cooperation of several law enforcement agencies. I want to thank the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Brunswick Police Department, along with our state and federal law enforcement partners, for helping us to bring an end to this crime spree.”

The men were arrested on a variety of charges, including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, attempted carjacking, armed robbery, aggravated assault, receiving stolen property, and the possession of weapons, police said.

The crime wave started on Sept. 7 with a shooting in New Brunswick. Anthony “Smoke” Pinson, 25, of Franklin Park was charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Paul “Munch” Sexton, 21, of New Brunswick was charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Three days later, on Sept. 10, a robbery took place at a gas station in New Brunswick. Pinson was arrested and charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Sexton was charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Danique “Biz” Simpson, 24, of South Plainfield and Ashley Stewart, 24, of Piscataway were also charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

On Sept. 16, an attempted carjacking took place on Beachwood Court in the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick just off Route 1. Pinson, Sexton, and Shaheed “Gleese” Wroten, 22, of New Brunswick were all charged with conspiracy to commit carjacking, possession of an assault firearm, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a community firearm.

On Sept. 19, three men in their early 20s were shot in New Brunswick and were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. All three survived. Pinson was charged with three counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a community gun. Antoine “Wax” Williams, 30, of Newark was charged with three counts of attempted murder, possession of an assault firearm, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a community gun. Sexton was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and possession of a community gun.

On Oct. 15, seven shots were fired in New Brunswick. No one was struck by the bullets. Wroten was charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and possession of a community gun. Both Pinson and Sexton were charged with conspiracy to commit attempted murder and possession of a community gun. Just two hours later, an attendant at the BP Gas Station on Route 27 in the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick was shot when five of the men allegedly robbed the gas station. The victim was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and recovered from his injuries. Pinson was charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, receiving stolen property, and possession of a community gun. Wroten was charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, receiving stolen property, and possession of a community gun. Sexton, Simpson, and Stewart were charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, receiving stolen property, and possession of a community gun.

On Oct. 26, a man was stabbed on George Street in New Brunswick. The victim was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and survived. Darnell “Badass” Konteh, 25, of Camden was charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Wroten was charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Sexton was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

In Camden, a shooting occurred on Nov. 28. Konteh was charged with the murder of Stanford Brown, 30, of Lawnside. Pinson was charged with attempted murder.

On Nov. 29, police stopped a vehicle in New Brunswick on an arrest warrant for Pinson. He was arrested and charged with possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a community gun. Konteh and Sexton were also arrested. After a warrant was obtained the car was searched, revealing two more weapons. Konteh was charged with possession of a shotgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a community gun. Sexton was charged with possession of a community gun and possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incidents should call Detective Brandt Gregus of the New Brunswick Police Department at (732) 745-5200, Detective Gregory Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4054, or Detective Eric Tighelaar and Detective Tim Hoover of South Brunswick Police Department at (732) 329-4000 ext. 7486.

One Comment

  1. What were Smoke, Gleese, Munch, and Biz thinking when they let Ashley Stewart in the gang without a nickname?

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