The story is on NJ.com. Link below.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/02/harr ... rder-of-truck-driver.html

Nearly fifteen years after the crime, a Harrison man has pleaded guilty to the 2007 murder of a Jersey City trucker.

https://jcitytimes.com/cold-case-unit- ... n-2007-murder-of-trucker/

Stabbed trucker found bleeding at recycle plant

Friday, August 31, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A truck driver was found lying on top of bloody boxes after being stabbed multiple times yesterday at the Jersey City recycling plant where he works, but he and others at the plant could tell police almost nothing about what happened, reports said.

The attack on Jose Rivera, 26, of Newark, follows the murder of another trucker, a man who was found Friday bound and stabbed in his rig parked on a Jersey City street.

At 1:22 a.m. yesterday, Rivera was found by another worker at Galaxy Recycling, located at the foot of New York Avenue where the road winds down from the Jersey City Heights to Hoboken, reports said.

Rivera was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he is currently listed in stable condition, said hospital spokesman John McKeegan. Investigators said his wounds did not appear life-threatening, reports said.

Rivera told the cops that he was stabbed from behind and that he could not identify his attacker, say whether more than one person attacked him, or which way his attacker fled, reports said.

Police spoke to several employees and a supervisor at the plant, but they too were unable to provide a description of the person or group that attacked Rivera, reports said.

Last Friday, Rafael Angel Aguero Espinoza, 50, was found dead, bound and stabbed in his rig on Senate Place at Van Winkle Avenue. His murder is also still under investigation.

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Someone's cashing slain trucker's checks

Friday, August 31, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Homicide investigators say two paychecks belonging to a truck driver found murdered in Jersey City were cashed after his death and they are following the lead with the hope of catching the killer.

"Obviously we've gone to the spots where they have been cashed," said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio yesterday, adding that the checks were cashed in Hudson County. He would not be more specific.

"We have to do follow-up investigation, which may include the existence of video," said DeFazio, who would not reveal the value of the two checks.

Last Friday, Rafael Angel Aguero Espinoza, 50, was found dead, bound hand and foot with duct tape, in the sleep compartment of his rig parked on Senate Place at Van Winkle Avenue, officials said.

An autopsy revealed he died from a stab wound under his left armpit that pierced his heart, officials said, adding that homicide detectives believe the motive was robbery. Espinoza was also stabbed in his left bicep and shoulder.

Investigators found "thousands of dollars" in Espinoza's boarding house room in Jersey City, but have no reason to believe it was ill gotten, DeFazio said. Espinoza was an illegal immigrant from Costa Rica and he had been removed from the United States in 2001, DeFazio said.

"The guy was a hard-working man, someone who was saving and sending money back, like many people who are here without status," DeFazio said. "They don't have bank accounts, no checking accounts."

Homicide detectives say Espinoza was last seen Aug. 17, but trucking logs found in the cab showed he may have been in Pennsylvania Monday. It's believed he had been dead several days when his body was found.

Anyone with information on the murder is asked to call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office at (201) 915-1345.

Trucker found slain in Jersey City

Star Ledger -- by Joe Ryan
Saturday August 25, 2007, 2:48 PM

The body of a 50-year-old truck driver was found, bound with duct tape and riddled with stab wounds, Friday night in his rig parked around the corner from the Jersey City rooming house where he lived, authorities said today.

Arnaldo Lopez had been missing for a week when his boss at a long-distance waste hauling company discovered his body in the sleeping compartment of his truck, which was parked on Van Winkle Avenue, west of Tonnele Avenue, said Edward J. De Fazio, the Hudson County prosecutor.

Lopez's wrists and ankles were bound, and it appeared he had been dead for several days, De Fazio said this afternoon.

"At this point we are under the assumption that it was a robbery," De Fazio said. Lopez was known for carrying large amount of cash, he said.

Originally from Costa Rica, Lopez has no known family in the area, De Fazio said. He worked for Mariel Waste Removal, which hauls trash from New York City to landfills in Pennsylvania, DeFazio said.

Lopez was last seen Aug. 17, but may have delivered a load Monday, De Fazio said.

The victim lived at a rooming house on Tonnele Avenue, in the shadow of the Pulaski Skyway. The place is frequented by truckers, including several of Lopez's co-workers, De Fazio said.

Lopez was known among fellow drivers for carrying large amounts of cash, leading investigators to believe the victim may have known his attacker, De Fazio said.

"But it could have also been a stranger," he said.

Investigators are asking that anyone with knowledge of Lopez's recent whereabouts call (201) 915-1345.