Police Nab Armed Robbery Suspects, Urge Residents to Report Related Crime

Matthew Hersh

Princeton Borough Police last week arrested a group of Princeton residents who were charged for their involvement in "at least" 14 to 16 armed robberies throughout the area, according to Borough Police Chief Anthony Federico.

The revelation stemmed from a May 2 call to Borough Police claiming that an elderly Borough woman was being abused in her home. Arrests of two individuals residing there, which were made on charges of abuse, narcotics possession, and firearm possession, led to a wider investigation linking those individuals to a string of armed robberies of immigrants and Princeton University Students in the Borough and Township. Several of the victimes were under the influence of alcohol, Chief Federico said.

The investigation has thus far resulted in the arrest of five people, with more arrests pending, according to Chief Federico.

The individuals currently in police custody are Marlowe Grayson, 29, and Anthony W.Goodwyn, 20, both Fisher Avenue residents; Thomas John Siepmann, 19, of Greenbriar Road; A 17-year-old Township juvenile; and a 15-year-old Township juvenile. Following the arrests, the three adults were placed in the Mercer County Detention Center in lieu of bail, which was set at $50,000 for each man. The two minors were placed in the Mercer County Youth Detention Center.

The arrests of Messrs. Grayson and Goodwyn were conducted by Det. Sgt. Nicholas Sutter, assisted by Sgt. Sharon Papp and Ptl. Mervyn Arena.

The arrested individuals would rob University students at gunpoint or by using physical force as students left the Prospect Avenue eating clubs, according to Chief Federico. University Public Safety is involved in the investigation and a campus-wide alert has been sent via e-mail to all students urging help on the case.

In targeting members of Princeton's Hispanic community, the arrested individuals also pursued inebriated victims, holding them up at gunpoint, and "pistol whipping" them.

The string of crimes involving these five individuals began in December of 2004 and ended on Monday, Chief Federico said.

Township Police Capt. Mark Emann said that the department has tied the group to attempted burglaries and attempted car thefts. Since Monday, he added, the Township has assigned six detectives to the case who have put in "quite a few hours" on it, Ewing and Lawrence Township Police deparments have also been brought in to help with the investigation. Since the individuals have been involved in bank robberies, the FBI and the New Jersey State Police have joined the investigation as well.

The crimes, police said, are currently not assumed to be gang-related.

A recurrent obstacle that has stymied police investigating violent crime in the Borough is that victims are not coming forward for fear that reporting the crimes will encourage police to act on immigration status or, in the students' cases, for fear of academic reprimand.

"We want people to know that we're not concerned with people's immigration status," Chief Federico said. "Our concern is that individuals have been victims of violent crime and we need these victims to please come forward."

Borough Councilman Roger Martindell, an immigration lawyer, said that those who report crimes will not be asked about immigration status. "Victims of robberies and assaults in this community should step forward with whatever information they have, share it with the police, so that these attacks will stop and the persons responsible will be brought to justice," he said.

Ryan Stark Lilienthal, also an immigration lawyer, said the priority of "any" police department is public safety,

"By interacting with and contacting the police, there will not be immigration consequences," he said. "It's vital that people have the confidence and comfort to interact with the police."