Story by Ethan
On February 26th, 2025, the arrests of Christian V. Cepeda, Dante N. Braxton, and Elias X. Montanez, all 20-years old, were announced by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. Christian V. Cepeda was charged with two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, one count of third-degree receiving stolen property, two counts of fourth-degree possession of a large-capacity ammunition magazine, one count of fourth-degree possession of hollow nose ammunition, and once count fourth-degree resisting arrest. All three suspects were charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, one count of third-degree receiving stolen property, two counts of fourth-degree possession of a large-capacity ammunition magazine, one count of fourth-degree possession of hollow nose ammunition, one count of fourth-degree resisting arrest, and the Bergen County Grand Jury voted to also charge Elias X. Montanez with two counts of second-degree aggravated assault of a police officer, and one count of third-degree resisting arrest. The arrests and charges against Christian V. Cepeda, Dante N. Braxton, and Elias X. Montanez were a result of an investigation launched by Chief Matthew Finck of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and Officer-in-Charge Joseph Delaney of the Garfield Police Department.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, on November 17th, 2024, suspicious activity on masked individuals was reported around the area of 400 block on River Drive. Responding officers from the Garfield Police Department attempted to confront the individuals before they fled in a Nissan Altima. The suspects in the Nissan Altima used the vehicle to ram into a police department issued SUV before exiting the car to continue fleeing from the officers on foot. Christian V. Cepeda was caught and apprehended by officers during the chase while the other two suspects continued to flee, one running northbound on River Drive while the other entered a parked Honda Accord. The individual in the Honda Accord was confronted by officers before striking one and dragging another, then fleeing successfully from the scene altogether. Three officers suffered various injuries while the other unknown suspect also fled successfully. A court-warranted search was executed on the Nissan Altima and uncovered two firearms loaded with large capacity magazines, one with hollow-point ammunition, and several cell phones. Detectives took Christian V. Cepeda into custody, and a joint investigation also identified Dante N. Braxton as the suspect who fled on foot up River Drive, and Elias X. Montanez as the individual who fled in the Honda Accord after injuring two officers.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against Christian V. Cepeda, Dante N. Braxton, and Elias X. Montanez are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
