Jersey City police arrest two teens in strong-arm theft of 17-year-old's headphones on street in afternoon

Thursday, April 07, 2011

An 18-year-old Jersey City man and a 15-year-old boy were charged with holding a teen in a choke hold while robbing him Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Bail for Andre T. Williams, of Virginia Avenue, was set at $50,000 cash or bond when he made his first appearance on the robbery charge in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny.

The 17-year-old victim said he was walking on Boyd Avenue at 4 p.m. when he saw Williams and the 15-year-old both following him, reports said, adding that he told police he knew the two from school.

He said he was grabbed from behind and choked to the point he could not breathe before his headphones were taken, reports said.

At the police station, the victim identified the 15-year-old and police said they were familiar with him from previous incidents, reports said. When they went to his home, the boy's mother invited them in and the headphones were in plain sight, hanging on a bedroom door, reports said.

The mother said her son had been out with a neighbor and police went to the neighbor's house and spoke to Williams' mother, reports said. The pair walked in while police were there and the mother began yelling "Tell me you didn't take that boy's headphones!" reports said.

Williams said "We were going to give it back," and both were taken into custody, reports said.

MICHAELANGELO CONTE