An Elizabeth man was found guilty yesterday of 1st Degree Carjacking, 1st Degree Robber, 3rdUnlawful Possession of a Weapon, 3rd Unlawful Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, drug possession, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats, announced Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.
Julio Cesar Torres Rivero DOB: 10/13/1963 was found guilty following a week-long trial before Superior Court Judge Joseph Donohue, said Assistant Prosecutor Jamel K. Semper.
According to the investigation, on the afternoon of July 16, 2010 Rivero walked up to the victim in the case as he left a Chinese restaurant on the intersection of North Avenue and Jackson Avenue in Elizabeth, said Semper. Rivero brandished a knife, took the victim’s keys and forced the victim into his own car and forced the victim drive to a local bank. While en route, the victim was able to escape the vehicle and contact police, said Semper.
Police found the abandoned vehicle a short time later and while on patrol, officers spotted Rivero several blocks away. He resisted arrest, but was eventually subdued and officers recovered a knife and the victim’s car keys, said Semper.
The jury took less than an hour to convict Rivero. He faces 30 years in prison when he sentenced in March 2012.