Newark Man Who Pretended to Have Gun Pulls Two Robberies, Police say

A city man who pretended to have a gun committed two robberies in quick succession Wednesday afternoon before being caught by police, the department said in a statement.

Edward Henries, 23, reportedly approached a 20-year-old man near 108 Market St. and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t hand over his cash and cell phone. Henries then ran from the scene towards Broad Street while his victim followed.

At 765 Broad St., the victim told police he saw Henries enter a taxi as he was being confronted by another man who was also one of Henries’s victims. Earlier, the second victim, who knew Henries in high school, was also threatened with a gun and robbed of $20.

Confronted by both his victims as well as family members, Henries reportedly ran from the cab and towards a subway station, where he was captured by Newark police.

Henries, who was unarmed, is being charged with robbery.   

"I applaud the officers for their quick and coordinated response to this incident that culminated in the arrest of a suspect in the early stages of what appeared to be the start of a one man crime wave,” Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio said. “I am pleased we were able to arrest this individual before he could claim any additional victims or potentially hurt or seriously injure someone."