Frightening armed robberies caught on camera in Paterson, New Jersey
PATERSON, New Jersey (WABC) -- Police in Paterson are investigating a string of armed robberies, at least two of which were caught on camera.
One involved a group of heavily armed masked suspects who held up a barbershop in the 300 block of Main Street.
It happened on Friday afternoon just before 2 p.m.
Surveillance video shows three masked males wearing all black brandishing long guns as they held up several victims on the street and inside the barbershop.
At least five victims told police the suspects stole cash, jewelry, phones and a key fob.
No one was hurt in that robbery, but in a similar one later that evening inside a nearby basement on West Broadway, a gunmen fired wounding a 48-year-old man, according to the Passaic County prosecutor.
"We've never seen anything like this happen," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh. "Unprecedented. As brazen as it was. In broad daylight near our cathedral. Around school dismissal time."
Another holdup happened a few hours earlier, between 10:25 and 11 a.m., several blocks away in the 200 block of Slater Street.
A victim told police he was approached by two armed males wearing all black and ski masks who demanded money.
They took jewelry and the victim's phone before fleeing.
Sayegh on Tuesday asked a state appeals court to put public safety back in the city's hands. Last year, the State Attorney General's Office took over the Paterson police department as it investigates last year's fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks who was having a mental health crisis.
"We are tremendously proud of the progress we have made in Paterson, but we remain mindful that this important work goes on," said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. "Supersession has a long and important history in New Jersey, and the Legislature has recognized the validity of the actions we have taken here. We remain hopeful that the Appellate Division will reject this baseless challenge to our important public safety work."
Investigators are asking anyone with information about either of these cases to call the Paterson Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at 973-321-1120.
In addition, Paterson Police released the following statement regarding ongoing crime in the city:
"The men and women of PPD have never worked or tried harder to make this city safe for its residents. Although shootings and homicides have never been lower, Paterson, like most other cities, must still deal with violent crime. The police are only part of the answer to this and it is certainly unfair to blame the police for the actions of criminals. The PPD will not rest until those who victimize our residents are brought to justice and although our ultimate goal is zero crime in Paterson, we all know that this is a noble goal that one agency cannot achieve alone."
READ MORE: Players back in the game after Paterson soccer field vandalized
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