EAST BRUNSWICK — A township man was arrested last week on armed robbery charges following a five-hour search in the woods involving numerous police agencies.
The arrest of Kevin Hill, 21, came in the early hours of Aug. 4. Police alleged that at 10:39 p.m. on Aug. 3, Hill and two others tried to rob the residents of a Cranbury Road home.
According to the residents, three males dressed in dark clothing, wearing masks and armed with handguns approached the two male residents, ages 18 and 21, in their driveway as they arrived home. The suspects ordered the residents to take them inside their home.
A struggle ensued between the residents and the suspects, and the suspects fled on foot without gaining access to the residence. The two victims both sustained injuries in the struggle and were later hospitalized.
The residents called 911, and responding police officers observed one of the suspects, later identified as Hill, crossing Cranbury Road and entering a wooded area between the new Cultural Arts Center at Heavenly Farms and Dunhams Corner Road.
Township police summoned the assistance of South Brunswick, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Spotswood, Jamesburg, South River, Milltown and Helmetta police departments to secure the perimeter of the wooded area. The New Jersey State Police K-9 and aviation units were also notified to assist in the search. In addition, all of the East Brunswick fire districts assisted by bringing additional lighting equipment to illuminate the area being searched.
Around 3:50 a.m., State Police K-9 Unit troopers Glen Robertson and Lisa Nieves located Hill in a thick wooded area. The suspect attempted to flee from the area but was apprehended near the soccer fields at Heavenly Farms by officers securing the perimeter.
Hill was charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, criminal restraint, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful use.
The two victims were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment of what police said were non-life-threatening injuries.
Police have not arrested other suspects in the case, but said the investigation is still active and additional charges are anticipated.
The investigation is being handled jointly between the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the East Brunswick Police Department. Police asked that anyone with information relating to the incident call Detective Joseph Alves of the East Brunswick Detective Bureau at 732-390-6990 or Sgt. Ivan Scott or Investigator Colin VanDemark of the prosecutor’s office at 732-745-3919.