Flemington man charged in Linden carjacking, another man sought
LINDEN — A 51-year-old Flemington man has been arrested and a second man is being sought in connection with allegedly carjacking a taxi they had apparently filled with $3,500 in stolen merchandise from the Linden Home Depot store.
Manuel Martinho has been charged with carjacking, a first degree crime, and shoplifting, a third degree crime. He is being held at the Union County Jail in Elizabeth pending a Superior Court hearing, police said.
The second man, described as heavy set and wearing a green jacket, remains at large, police said.
According to police, on Monday, May 16 Martinho and another unidentified man hired a taxi to take them from Elizabeth to the Linden Home Depot, 701 W. Edgar Rd, also known as Route 1.
They arrived in Linden shortly after 1 p.m. and Martinho entered the store while the taxi waited in the parking lot. Martinho exited the store a few minutes later, loaded merchandise into the trunk of the taxi, and requested that the driver return to Elizabeth, police said.
The taxi drove off traveling north on Route 1 heading back toward Elizabeth. While approaching the intersection of South Park Avenue the taxi driver, a 78-year-old Elizabeth man, was notified by the taxi dispatcher to return to the Home Depot store, police said.
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The men screamed at the driver to ignore the order, but when the driver made the U-turn Martinho allegedly began punching him repeatedly until he fell out of the vehicle. Martinho then took control of the vehicle and continued traveling north on Route 1, police said.
The taxi driver was treated on scene for minor injuries.
Elizabeth police located the stolen taxi in the area of West Jersey Street a short time later. Police said 23 rolls of Romex wire allegedly stolen from the Home Depot, worth about $3,500, were recovered from the vehicle and Martinho was taken into custody.
“We are very proud of the quick response and investigative work that lead to this arrest,” said Police Chief David Hart. “We are also grateful for the partnership we share with the Elizabeth Police Department, who quickly located this individual and placed him under arrest.”
This incident remain under investigation. Anyone with information about this incident or any other criminal activity is urged to contact the Linden Police Department Detective Bureau at 908-474-8537.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Flemington man charged in Linden carjacking, another man sought
