Police: Three Men Steal $3K in Baby Formula from Mahwah A&P, Punch Employee

Three New York men were arrested Wednesday night after police said they stole $3,000 worth of baby formula from the Mahwah A&P, punched a supermarket employee in the face, and led cops on a chase down Route 17.

According to Mahwah Sgt. Mike Blondin, three men ran out of the A&P at about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday with a cart full of several different types of baby formula. When an employee tried to stop them, the men punched him in the face, and then got in their car and fled the scene, Blondin said.

Witnesses reported the vehicle to police, which patrolling Officer John Lange saw on Route 17 South several minutes later, Blondin said.

When Lange attempted to pull the car over, the men led cops on a chase down Route 17, police said. When the men attempted to cut police off near the Hollywood Avenue exit, they lost control of the car and hit a tree, Blondin said.

One man was arrested at the scene of the car accident, but the two others got out of the car and started running from cops on foot, he said.

Police called in back-up from multiple nearby agencies and K-9 units, who eventually located the men on the train tracks in Ho-Ho-Kus, Blondin said.

The two passengers, Jovan Milton Alleyne, 18, of Rosedale, Queens, and Linson Watson, 18, of Brooklyn, were charged with robbery, shoplifting, and assault, Blondin said.

The driver, Marvin Guillaume-Sam, 22, also of Rosedale, was additionally charged with eluding authorities, he said.

Guillaume-Sam and Watson have histories of narcotics and weapons arrests, police said.

According to Police Chief Jim Batelli, the three were remanded to the Bergen County Jail Thursday morning. Watson and Alleyne are being held on $75,000 bail, and Guillaume-Sam on $50,000, Batelli said. 

The A&P employee was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, N.Y. where he was treated for minor facial injuries, police said.

All of the baby formula recovered was returned to the A&P, however a lot of it was damaged in the car accident and likely will not be able to be sold, Blondin said.

According to cops, baby formula theft is fairly common in the area, as it can be resold to small convenience stores and bodegas in NYC for a fairly sizable profit.