By Howard Koplowitz
A former Floral Park man wanted in connection with a murder inside a Briarwood motel room Saturday was arrested by SWAT teams Sunday in New Jersey, the Bergen County prosecutor’s office said.
Maxcime Cagen, 46, whose last known address was 120 Kingston Ave. in Floral Park, L.I., was arrested without incident by SWAT teams from Passaic and Bergen counties at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday and was found carrying a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, the prosecutor’s office said.
The office said the New York Police Department and the 107th Precinct in Queens wanted Cagen after the murder of Edwin Vega Quinones, 48, of 89-12 184th St. in Hollis, who was found shot in the head by police at around 5 p.m. Saturday — 7 1/2 hours before Cagen’s arrest — in his room at the Par Central Motor Inn at 82-85 Parsons Blvd. in Briarwood on the Jamaica border, according to the NYPD.
The motive for the killing was unclear.
An employee of the Par Central Motor Inn said he was not working at the time of the murder and had no details about the killing.
Quinones was reportedly found dead by a housekeeper at the motel.
Cagen was arrested along with Nelson Otero of Fort Lee, N.J. Otero was not a suspect in Quinones’ murder, the prosecutor’s office said.
The office said Cagen and Otero were responsible for more than a dozen armed robberies of gas stations, liquor stores and convenience stores in New Jersey and that Cagen allegedly shot a New Jersey officer following an armed robbery.
Cagen was also a suspect in multiple robberies in the Bronx, the prosecutor’s office said.
Cagen had yet to be charged with the Briarwood murder, although he faces charges in the New Jersey crimes, including possession of a handgun without a permit to carry, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery, the prosecutor’s office said.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
