Two men arrested for fatal stabbing at Bergen County browsing middle, cops say

Police on Wednesday arrested two adult males in relationship with a lethal stabbing Tuesday evening at a Bergen County buying centre that still left a 65-12 months-outdated man dead, authorities stated.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office environment on Wednesday arrested Augusto G. Perez, 70, of North Bergen, and charged him with the murder of Omar Cruz, 64, of Albany, New York, in the parking ton of the Bergen City Centre, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor’s Office environment confirmed.

Along with Perez, Jorge Sanchez-Valdez, 48, of Guttenberg, was arrested and billed with hindering apprehension in link with the slaying, the Prosecutor’s Place of work verified.

Both Perez and Sanchez-Valdez were being becoming held in the Bergen County Jail pending their very first court docket overall look. The Prosecutor’s Place of work experienced submitted to detain equally males, the spokesperson confirmed.

At all around 6:05 p.m, law enforcement been given a 911 call of a stabbing in the whole lot of the Bergen Town Middle, authorities earlier said. When officers arrived, they had been satisfied with a grisly scene, a path of blood on the exterior of the shopping mall primary to a pool of blood all-around Cruz, according to the complaint.

Officers arrived to find Cruz in the sprawling parking whole lot of the searching center with many stab wounds, slumped around in the vicinity of a pile of snow, in accordance to the criticism. Law enforcement asked Cruz if he realized who stabbed him, the criticism reported. He responded with Perez’s identify.

“OC responded numerous occasions that ‘Agosto’ had stabbed him,” the criticism explained.

Two witnesses informed law enforcement they observed what occurred right after Cruz was stabbed, reportedly acquiring read Cruz say “I’m dying” and that “Augusto” had stabbed him, the grievance claimed.

Shortly soon after he was observed, Cruz was taken to Hackensack College Medical Center, where by he later died.

By way of cell cellular phone pings, police ended up ready to figure out that Sanchez-Valdez and Perez experienced spoken on the cellular phone just minutes immediately after the 911 simply call and the deadly stabbing, the complaint reported.

The fatal stabbing in the sprawling Bergen City Center parking great deal was sparked by a dispute in between Cruz and Sanchez-Valdez more than $80, according to the felony complaint.

Following Cruz had asked Sanchez-Valdez to transfer $80 to a woman acquaintance, Cruz hardly ever paid Sanchez-Valdez again, Sanchez-Valdez advised law enforcement, according to the complaint. The alleged financial debt led to Sanchez-Valdez threatening Cruz, in accordance to the grievance.

Sanchez-Valdez admitted to threatening Cruz, but denied owning any section in his murder or calling Perez, according to the grievance.

But Perez’s story to law enforcement conflicts with Sanchez-Valdez’s version, with Perez stating that Sanchez-Valdez experienced identified as him hrs right before the bloody altercation, according to the grievance.

Early morning Tuesday, Sanchez-Valdez called Perez, Perez informed law enforcement, in accordance to the grievance. All over 11 a.m. Tuesday, Perez went to a coffee store close to his North Bergen household, in which he would finally meet up with with Cruz, the grievance reported.

At the coffee shop meeting, Cruz explained to Perez that Sanchez-Valdez had been sending threatening textual content messages, together with “sexually explicit photographs,” the criticism explained. Perez finished the discussion immediately after telling Cruz he couldn’t communicate to him as he was on probation, the complaint claimed.

Later on Tuesday afternoon, Sanchez-Valdez known as Perez to ask him if he had spoken to Cruz and the two would afterwards fulfill at a cafe in Union Metropolis, according to the complaint.

But Perez denied ever heading to Paramus or Maywood, the criticism reported.

The Bergen City Centre is an indoor and outside mall distribute out around 105 acres in Maywood and Paramus, in accordance to the mall’s web-site. The stabbing happened outside the house a beauty shop and in the vicinity of a grocery store.

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Rodrigo Torrejon may well be achieved at [email protected]. Stick to him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon.