Hackensack Man Sentenced To 33 Years For A String Of 2022 Armed Robberies In Hudson County

A string of armed robberies that occurred throughout Hudson County in 2022 has resulted in the sentencing of 38-year old, Hackensack resident Joel Krecz.  According to Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello, the Honorable John Young, J.S.C., sentenced Krecz on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 to more than three decades behind bars in a New Jersey State Prison.

Krecz was convicted at trial of four counts of armed robbery, one count of robbery, five counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, five counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, five counts of theft, one count of aggravated assault, one count of possession of prohibited weapons (large capacity ammunition), and one count of possession of prohibited weapons (hollow point bullets).  He was found not guilty of one count of aggravated assault.  The sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act and the Graves Act.

According to a press release from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the charges stem from four armed robberies that were reported between the late night hours of Friday, April 29, 2022, and the early morning hours of Saturday, April 30, 2022.  In each incident, a handgun was brandished and money was demanded from the clerk working at a business. A joint investigation by the Jersey City Police Department, Union City Police Department, Secaucus Police Department, Hoboken Police Department, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs Task Force identified Krecz as the individual wanted in connection with the following incidents: