Elderly Couple Violently Assaulted In Home Invasion, 4 Indicted In Union County

UNION, NJ — Four Newark men were indicted on criminal charges in connection with a violent home invasion of an elderly couple and carjacking in Union Township in September 2024, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Union Police DirectorChristopher Donnelly announced Friday.

Asim Key, age 21, Rahiem Maldonado, age 23, Altamir Thornton, age 23, and Yashir Phillips, age 20, all of Newark, were indicted on May 8 on charges of first-degree carjacking, first-degree robbery, second-degree arson, second-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree aggravated assault, two counts of third-degree burglary, two-counts of third-degree theft, and fourth-degree hindering prosecution.

Additionally, Key faces added drug charges relating to his arrest.

The attack reportedly happened on the morning of Sept. 20, 2024, at around 7:30 a.m. when four masked people entered the Scott Court home of an elderly couple, according to Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Desimone of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence and Narcotics Division.

• Related: Elderly Couple Violently Assaulted In Home Invasion, 4 Arrested In Union County

The suspects reportedly forced their way into a home in Union, where they violently assaulted the elderly couple in an attempt to obtain the keys to a luxury vehicle that was parked in the driveway, said police.

During the assault, the victims sustained serious bodily injury requiring immediate medical attention.

The suspects, who arrived in a BMW X3 which had been previously stolen from Livingston, were able to get keys to one of the victim's vehicles, said police.

They then fled with the victim’s stolen car, a purse, cash, as well as the stolen vehicle that they arrived in, said authorities.

The Livingston BMW was found shortly after the theft in Newark, completely destroyed after it had been purposely lit on fire, said police.

This extensive investigation, led by Detective William Young of the Union Township Police Department, with the help of Union County Prosecutor’s Office Sergeant Nicholas Falcicchio and other members of the Office’s Intelligence Unit, uncovered a series of crimes committed by the Key, Maldonado, Thornton, and Phillips across multiple jurisdictions.

Maldonado, Thornton, and Phillips were arrested in Bergen County for a separate incident in November 2024 and are currently in the Bergen County Jail. They were served warrants for the charges on Feb. 13.

Key was arrested on Feb. 19 and is being held in Essex County Jail.

Anyone with information should contact the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Unit Sergeant Katelyn Prata at 908-447-6195 or Union Police Detective William Young at 908-851-5037.

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