Sprees don't last forever: 2 holdup suspects seized

Friday, January 09, 2009
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Police believe Wednesday's arrests of two North Bergen men has ended a string of early-morning armed robberies of bodegas and gas stations. Larry Zarzuela, 31, and Ramon Negron, 29, are facing a slew of charges.

Negron was arrested by the North Bergen police during a robbery at the Getty gas station at 2501 Tonnelle Ave. at 4 a.m. after the clerk called the police, said North Bergen Police Lt. Frank Cannella.

Negron threatened the clerk with a hammer and Zarzuela held a knife, Cannella said.

But the store clerk struck Negron several times with a baseball bat and Zarzuela fled in a stolen Honda that cops obtained a partial license plate number from, officials said.

Police arrived and arrested Negron, who had no serious injuries from the blows from the bat, Cannella said.

But just a few hours later, at 6:30 a.m., Zarzuela robbed Sweet Corner Deli, at 177 Nelson Ave. in Jersey City, using a box cutter, making off with about $60 in cash, officials said.

Jersey City police caught up with Zarzuela after Detective Steve Furch spotted the stolen Honda.

Furch also recognized Zarzuela from surveillance video from a 4:30 a.m. Dec. 26 robbery of Casa Blanca Deli, at 56 Sip Ave. in Jersey City, reports said.

Furch followed Zarzuela in his police car and called for backup, reports said.

Trying to shake Furch, Zarzuela eventually crashed the Honda on Sanford Place in the Jersey City Heights and then took off running through several backyards, reports said.

During the chase, Furch injured his shoulder, but managed the arrest with the help of another officer, reports said.

The two men are also charged with robbing a Citgo gas station, at 262 Tonnelle Ave. in Jersey City, at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, officials said.

In all of the robberies, the suspects used a hammer and/or knife to threaten the victims, officials said.

Juan C. Curz, 31, of Summit Avenue in Jersey City, a passenger in Zarzuela's car when he was apprehended, was taken into custody and charged with one count of armed robbery and receiving stolen property, police said.

Zarzuela, who was released from state prison in September after serving sentences for robbery convictions, told police, "If I didn't have my partner with me, you would have had to kill me to take me in," officials said.