Cristian Ricardo Vera Castillo
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the capture of 26-year-old CRISTIAN RICARDO VERA CASTILLO of Brooklyn, NY, a fugitive sought by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Maywood Police Department in relation to an armed robbery in Maywood, NJ in 2024. This latest development is the result of an extensive investigation that has spanned a total of 22 months by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Jeff Angermeyer, and the Maywood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Terence Kenny.
As previously reported on November 1, 2024, and again on November 26, 2025, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of five men: BEIKER A. AGUILERA AREYAN, DANIEL A. RIVAS-ALVARADO, YEISON J. AMARANTE BOLIVAR, JHON C. REQUENA YERENA, and DAIKER YAIR RIVERO URBANO on charges stemming from an armed robbery that occurred in Maywood, NJ on April 23, 2024. The armed robbery occurred at a jewelry store on West Pleasant Avenue in Maywood in which two male suspects entered the business and brandished firearms, pointing them at an employee and customer who were inside the store. One of the suspects grabbed the employee and a brief struggle ensued. Ultimately, the two suspects fled the store, leaving behind duct tape and zip ties.
A joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Maywood Police Department determined that multiple suspects – not simply the two men who entered the store – were involved in the planning and execution of the armed robbery. As part of the conspiracy, the suspects utilized two moped-style motorcycles, as well as a vehicle, to travel to and from the scene of the armed robbery. Following a months-long, nationwide investigation in 2024, detectives were able to identify, arrest, and charge BEIKER A. AGUILERA AREYAN, DANIEL A. RIVAS-ALVARADO, YEISON J. AMARANTE BOLIVAR, and JHON C. REQUENA YERENA as four of the suspects involved in the armed robbery. All four men – some of whom had left the region – were located, arrested, and charged accordingly between June 2024 and October 2024, and remain in custody in the Bergen County Jail.
Following the initial arrests in 2024, detectives continued the investigation. After months of additional work, DAIKER YAIR RIVERO URBANO and CRISTIAN RICARDO VERA CASTILLO were also charged in connection with the armed robbery. On November 5, 2025, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and agents from U.S. Customs & Border Protection, RIVERO URBANO was located and apprehended in Detroit, MI. On November 19, 2025, RIVERO URBANO was extradited back to Bergen County, NJ and is currently detained in the Bergen County Jail.
As noted in 2025, initial attempts to locate and arrest CRISTIAN RICARDO VERA CASTILLO were also unsuccessful. However, on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, VERA CASTILLO was located and arrested in New York City by members of the New York City Police Department. VERA CASTILLO is currently being held in a New York City detention facility, pending extradition to Bergen County, NJ.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella states that all the charges in this case are merely accusations, and that all the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Mark Musella thanks the Federal Bureau of Investigation (North Jersey Violent Crimes & Safe Streets Task Force), New York City Police Department, and Maywood Police Department for their investigative assistance throughout this case. Moreover, Prosecutor Musella thanks and recognizes the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Beverly Hills (CA) Police Department, Miami (FL) Police Department, New Jersey State Police, North Bergen Police Department, Paramus Police Department, and Rochelle Park Police Department for their assistance with this lengthy investigation. Finally, he thanks the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (Detroit Field Office), and U.S. Customs & Border Protection (Detroit Sector / Gibraltar Station) for their assistance with the apprehension of one or more of these defendants.