Cops recover robbery victim's wallet

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City man and woman were arrested Monday night and charged with attacking a Heights resident with a box cutter during a robbery. While making the arrest, sharp-eyed officers spotted the victim's wallet on a nearby rooftop where it had been discarded, officials said.

Belkis Vasquez Velez, 33, and Jay Ortiz, 18, both of Palisade Avenue at Congress Street, were arrested after the 8:20 p.m. robbery and charged with robbery, aggravated assault and weapons offenses, officials said.

Officers responding to reports of a large fight found the 58-year-old Kennedy Boulevard man lying in the street; Velez and the man's girlfriend were with him, reports said.

The victim said Velez and three men robbed him and Velez had attacked him with a box cutter, reports said, adding that the victim's jacket looked as if it had been slashed.

The victim identified Ortiz as one of the robbers and said he lived with Velez, reports said. When police went to the apartment, they found Ortiz inside and arrested him, reports said.

From an apartment window the officers saw the victim's wallet on an adjacent roof, reports said, adding that the fire department responded and recovered it.

At the police station Velez complained of abdominal pain and while being transported to Christ Hospital an officer overheard her say, "I should've cut his other pocket to see what he was holding in there," reports said.