Rise in crime has police concerned

22-year-old borough man robbed at gunpoint in Jugtown area.

By: Jennifer Potash
   The Princeton Borough Police Department is concerned about a rise in violent crime following an armed robbery of a borough man Saturday and growing instances of burglaries in residential areas and the business district.
   "There is a concern about an increase in violent street crime that hasn’t happened here in a long time," said Lt. Dennis McManimon.
   A 22-year-old Princeton Borough man was robbed at gunpoint Saturday night as he was walking on Aiken Avenue, police said. The short dead-end street is located off Murray Place, one block south of Nassau Street, in the Jugtown area.
   The victim was walking on the sidewalk when an older-model four-door Buick with a dark-colored interior pulled up alongside him and one the car’s occupants asked for cigarette, police said.
   Two of the car’s occupants got out and one placed the barrel of a handgun to the small of the victim’s back while the other searched the victim’s pockets, removing his wallet and other items, police said.
   One suspect also attempted to remove a chain from the victim’s neck and during a brief struggle pushed him in the face and neck, breaking his glasses, police said. The victim was treated and released from the University Medical Center at Princeton.
   The suspects are described as a black male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, between 19 and 20 years of age with a thin face, wearing boots, dark pants, a dark sweatshirt and holding an automatic handgun with a silver handle and a blue barrel; a black male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, between 19 and 20 years old with a heavier build than the first suspect, thin-nosed with a round face and wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a dark ski mask; the third suspect, who did not leave the car, was a white male, 19 to 20 years old and wearing a knit green and brown sweater.
   Police have not said whether this was a bias crime or if this incident is related to some of the street gang actively reported last fall.
   The incident may be related to a similar one in Princeton Township that occurred about 20 minutes later on Saturday night, Lt. McManimon said.
   Princeton Township police said a 17-year old township youth was robbed of some of his clothing and possessions while walking home on Mount Lucas Road.
   Three men pulled two guns on the juvenile during the robbery, police said.
   "We’re not sure if it was gang-related," Township Police Capt. Mark Emann said. "We’re still investigating."
   A spate of attempted car thefts in the borough over the weekend might be the work of the same group of people, Lt. McManimon said. Some neighborhoods in the western section have reported that vehicles were broken into and personal property stolen, Lt. McManimon said.
   Also, police are concerned about what appears to be an increase in credit card thefts. Lt. McManimon said offices in Princeton University buildings and Nassau Street businesses have been targeted.
   "It’s definitely on the rise," he said. "There are a lot of places they can walk in and out of quickly."
Staff Writer Rachel Silverman contributed to this story.