Alleged Gang Members Charged in Robberies

Two men accused in a Teaneck robbery are among five members of a violent street gang charged in connection with similar crimes across Bergen and Passaic counties, the prosecutor's office said Monday. 

Steven Olivo, 19,  and Jose L. Rosario-Florentin, 23, both of Hackensack, were charged by Teaneck police late last month in a Queen Anne Road street robbery, and prosecutors allege they were planning more robberies with fellow members of the Trinitarios street gang.

"The Trinitarios is one of the most violent and fastest-rising street gangs in the tri-state area," Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said in a statement. "They started as a prison-based gang and now have become a dominant presence in the urban and suburban communities."

A county task force linked the group to several random robberies in Hackensack, Lodi and Passaic, Molinelli said. Last Thursday, investigators learned the crew was about to carry out more attacks and arrested the five.

In addition to Olivo and Rosario-Florentin, Hackensack residents Michael Perez, 19, Ovardy D. Esquea, 18, and 18-year-old Lajoni Sena, of Rochelle Park were charged with strong armed robbery, unlawful possession during the commission of a crime and unlawful weapons possession. 

The five were ordered held on $150,000 bail with no ten percent option.