Robbery Suspect Flees To Roof After Botched Prostitution Encounter: Secaucus Police

SECAUCUS, NJ — A robbery suspect Secaucus Police chased onto the roof of a local Chinese restaurant Wednesday had arranged to meet with a man for prostitution, and then allegedly stole $200 from the man, said police.

At approximately 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Secaucus Police Department received a call of a theft that had just occurred in the area of 1300 Paterson Plank Road.

The caller, a 44-year-old man from Union City, reported that a man had just stolen $200 from him and ran out of his office. A description was broadcast to all responding officers.

While looking for the suspect, responding officers observed him near the 100 block of Centre Avenue. The man was identified as Cameron Kennard, 20, of the Bronx. He noticed the uniformed officers approaching and fled on foot into neighboring backyards, said police.

To evade capture, Kennard ran into a private building on Front Street. The building houses Aji Chinese restaurant. He did not go inside the restaurant, but ran up the stairs to the second floor, the restaurant owners said.

He ran into an occupied apartment on the second floor, where police say Kennard offered the person inside $200 to not call the police. Kennard then gained access to the rooftop and attempted to hide but was apprehended a short while later by Secaucus Police officers.

The investigation revealed that the 44-year-old man who initially called police had arranged to engage in prostitution with Kennard, said police.

They met in the parking lot near the bank at 1321 Paterson Plank Road. During their initial encounter, a dispute between the two ensued when Kennard forcefully took the $200 and fled the area, said police.

He never showed a weapon and nobody was injured.

Kennard was charged with Promoting Prostitution (2C:34-1B(2)), Robbery [2C:15-1A(1)], Obstruction of Administration of Law [2C:29-1A], Criminal Mischief [2C:18-2A(1)]and Witness Tampering [2C:28-5A(2)]. He was taken to the Hudson County jail. The 44-year-old Union City man was charged with engaging in Prostitution [2C:34-
1B(1)] and released on a summons to appear in Secaucus town court.

Secaucus Police did not release his name.

“This is just another example that illustrates how prostitution and other vice crimes have consequences in our community,” said Secaucus Deputy Police Chief Martin Moreda. "These crimes against society are proactively and routinely investigated by our Patrol and Anti-Crime units. I want to commend the collaborative work by our patrol, detective, drone and K-9 units who worked quickly and swiftly to locate, apprehend and identify the circumstances that disrupted the central business district during the business daytime hours. I would like to thank the Secaucus Fire Department with their assistance in safely retrieving the suspect and our officers from the rooftop.”

The initial story Wednesday night: Suspect Runs Above Secaucus Chinese Restaurant, Tries To Escape Via Roof