Two New York Men Charged in Fort Lee Home Invasion for Weapons, Threats
By Mary K. Miraglia
HACKENSACK, N.J. (April 17, 2017) — Two New York men were arraigned Monday, April 17, 2017, on 13 criminal counts ranging from terroristic threats to pointing a firearm at their three victims in a home invasion gone awry in Fort Lee last Sept. 26.
Frederick Jones, 36, of Brooklyn and Kyrie Baum, 40, of Maspeth had charges presented against them before Judge Frances A. McGrogan in Superior Court. They will return to court May 22 to hear a plea offer from Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Dion Findley.
Findley said Monday he needs time to construct an appropriate offer because Baum has additional, fairly serious charges in connection with another pending case. According to jail records, he has been charged with an aggravated assault that occurred in February.
Attorneys for both men, Lawyer Ron Bar-Nadav of Hackensack and Lawyer Shelly D. Albert, also of Hackensack, entered not guilty pleas for their clients.
Albert asked for the judge’s assistance in reviewing evidence discs with her client. There was a recent incident in the jail when one or more inmates were found viewing contraband material on laptop computers, so access to all computers had been restricted. McGrogan said she would investigate and report back on the issue of computer-based evidence.
According to a source close to the case, the two knew a man who lived on West St. in Fort Lee who was on home confinement with a monitoring bracelet that they knew would not be able to leave the premises. They also knew the victim had large amounts of valuables in his apartment, so they targeted him for a robbery. They impersonated U.S. Marshals to get into the home, where they found two other people with their victim. They threatened and intimidated all three with a handgun and a knife.
Jones and Baum are charged with three first degree counts of threatening to or putting three separate victims in fear of bodily injury in the course of a theft; second degree breaking and entering while displaying and threatening harm with a weapon at an apartment on West St., third degree theft in excess of $500; second degree possession of a handgun to use against another person, third degree possession of a knife, same circumstances, and also possession of a knife for an unlawful purpose; possession of a handgun without a permit; three third degree charges of restraining three separate victims while exposing them to a risk of bodily injury; fourth degree impersonating a police officer to coerce their victims; and three fourth degree charges of pointing firearms at the three, expressing “extreme indifference” to the value of human life.
They are being held in the Bergen County Jail on bail, $500,000 for Baum and $200,000 for Jones.
