22-year-old Pedro Tepox-Espinoza (aka ‘Papi’) was arrested Thursday afternoon, March 7th, by Detectives from the Roselle Park Police Department (RPPD) investigating a rash of burglaries from December 2012.
Police had previously arrested four (4) juvenile males from Elizabeth for six separate apartment burglaries that occurred during the month of December. During the ensuing investigation, police became aware that an adult nicknamed ‘Papi” had driven the juveniles to and from the burglary scenes and paid them for their participation. Over the past two months, several leads were developed as to the identity of “Papi”.
During the first week of March, with the assistance of the Elizabeth Police Department, Roselle Park Police were able to identify an individual they suspected was “Papi”. Pedro Tepox-Espinoza aka Pedro Tepoxespinoza, of Kenilworth, was arrested Thursday by Detective Hussam Assad for Burglary, Theft, and Employing a juvenile(s) in a crime/burglary.
Tepox-Espinoza is currently employed as a cook at a West Jersey Avenue restaurant in the City of Elizabeth. Police were able to recover property stolen during a December 27th burglary of 336 East Westfield Avenue during a search of Tepox-Espinoza’s Kenilworth residence. Tepox-Espinoza was lodged into the Union County Jail on Thursday night in lieu of $50,000 bond.
Additional burglary related charges against Tepox Espinoza are pending.