Two 16-year-old boys are facing felony charges after police say they robbed taxi drivers at gunpoint in back-to-back incidents that began with rides from Palisades Center Mall. Haverstraw police arrested both teens on Tuesday, and each was arraigned in the Rockland County Superior Court Youth Part, with bail set at $50,000 for one and $25,000 for the other.
The arrests capped an investigation into two separate robberies in Haverstraw, according to dailyvoice.com, which reported that both incidents involved taxi drivers who had picked up passengers from Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack. One of the 16-year-olds is accused of taking part in both robberies, while the second teen is accused of involvement only in the more recent one, the outlet reported.
First Robbery Unfolded After Mall Pickup
The first holdup happened around 8:38 p.m. on Oct. 4, after a taxi driver drove a passenger from Palisades Center Mall to the Village of Haverstraw, as detailed by Patch. Officers responded to a reported armed robbery in which, per the same account, the robber displayed a firearm, demanded money, and then fled on foot.
Six days later, a second gunpoint robbery played out in similar fashion but with an added level of violence. The outlet reported that at about 9:47 p.m. on Oct. 10, two suspects again took a taxi from Palisades Center Mall, displayed firearms, demanded money, assaulted the driver, and fled on foot.
Arrests, Charges and Bail
Haverstraw police located and arrested both suspects this past Tuesday, Oct. 20, according to monseyscoop.com, which confirmed that both teenagers were arraigned in the Rockland County Superior Court Youth Part. The suspects face charges including robbery in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and assault in the second degree, as detailed by Newport Dispatch.
Bail was set at $50,000 for the teen accused in both robberies and $25,000 for the second suspect, who is accused only in the Oct. 10 incident. Because the suspects are minors, the Haverstraw Police Department said no additional identifying information would be released, Patch reported.
Why The Cases Start In Youth Part
The arraignments in Rockland County's Youth Part trace back to New York's Raise the Age law. Under that statute, 16-year-olds charged with felony offenses are treated as Adolescent Offenders, and their cases begin in the Youth Part of Supreme or County Court, according to NY CourtHelp. What happens next in either case has not been made public.
