Case of Mistaken Identity Fuels Alleged Robbery at Heights of Collingswood
A reported drug buy gone wrong led to a second-degree robbery charge for Roberto Rentas. Police locked down the C building Dec. 6 while they sorted it out.
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It was a case of misplaced aggression and mistaken identity, and by the end of it, Roberto Rentas found himself charged with second-degree robbery over a $300 beef.
The 32-year-old Camden man allegedly played both victim and aggressor in an ill-fated trip to the "C" Building of the Heights of Collingswood apartment complex last Thursday.
According to Collingswood police, Rentas arrived at the apartments the afternoon of December 6 with the intention of purchasing $20 of marijuana from a contact named "Tony."
During a brief encounter in the stairwell, Rentas reported that "Tony" snatched $300 in cash from him, and then dashed downstairs and outside, allegedly fleeing in a silver vehicle.
An irate Rentas then allegedly charged up to the third floor of the "C" Building, where he met a carpeting and remodeling worker as the man exited the elevator.
Believing the workman to be connected with the incident, Rentas shoved him against the wall, and began rifling through the man's pockets, asking "Where's Tony? Where's my money?", police said.
The victim called police, and after a brief lockdown of the property, Rentas reportedly was located and arrested without incident.
In the course of his detainment, police also discovered that Rentas was wanted on a $500 warrant from the Pennsauken Municipal Court. He was remanded to the Camden County correctional facility on $50,000, full-cash bail.
Rentas also reported the $300 theft to police; "Tony" remains at large.
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Heights of Collingswood
700 W Browning Rd, Oaklyn, NJ -
Collingswood Borough Police Department
735 Atlantic Ave, Collingswood, NJ
Aeroflyte
7:09 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
And Collingswood is on the verge of building another building like the Heights right in the center of Collingswood on the old Lumberyard site. By a developer who specializes in "affordable" housing.
MAJ-13
7:51 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
No matter how hard the town tries, this will always be Sutton Towers.
Collingswoodnative
9:33 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Not Sutton, Parkview to long time residents. Parkview was high end, now it's a high rise ghetto no matter what the name.
I agree with Aeroflyte the new Lumberyard apartments will be a new problem for the town.
Jill Warner
11:16 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
someone else would have to tell me if I am wrong, but I grew up here also and graduated in 1282 and it was Sutton then and I believe Parkview afterwards......the funny thing is when I was a kid I wanted to live there (like The Courtship of Eddie's Father)
Collingswoodnative
11:20 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012
Parkview was the name when it was built in the late 1940's, prior to that it was anti-aircraft site in WWII and baseball field before that. I've been around here since they were built. We would ride our bikes past the underground garage in the 1950's amazed at covered parking. We were also amazed at the cars the rich people owned including Rolls Royces. Don't see many of those around town anymore.
Mayor Malley said at the first public meeting about Sutton in the early 90's we were going to return the apartments to being high end as they were years prior. Sounds like what's been promised for the Lumberyard.
History repeats, over and over.
Shirley
11:29 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Will this (The Heights and The LumberYard) be Mayor Maley's legacy?
Gary B
1:00 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Drugs, crime, Camden, police, trespassers and randoms, buyers/sellers/users, assault.... Unforgivably these are all word associations with the Heights of Collingswood.
Collingswoodnative
7:42 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Do they take Section 8?
Their website doesn't say and most of the apartments are rented. I'm gobsmacked that only a few units are empty.
Jen
12:00 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
I lived there for a few years, and I must say that I absolutely LOVED my apartment! Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, 2br, 1ba. LR, DR, balcony with an amazing view of the city. I would have stayed for longer, but it seems they will let anyone rent there - which is probably why there aren't many available units. They just place an applicant into an apt without background checks. It became very transient & I didn't feel safe with some of my neighbors and some of the weirdos that would just be able to walk off of the street & into the building. Plus maintenance & parking issues became a pain. Mayor Maley has nothing to do with how things are going there - it's all due to the current property management.