East Brunswick Man Cornered by Law Enforcement in Murder-for-Hire Plot

NEWARK, NJ—FBI Special Agent In Charge Weysan Dun, along with the Middlesex County Prosecutors office and the Woodbridge and Sayreville Police Departments, announced today that Joseph Passalaqua, age 55, of 87 Morgan Place, East Brunswick, New Jersey, was arrested September 23 and charged federally with one count of a Hobbs Act violation in connection with a murder-for-hire plot. Passalaqua was arrested without incident by the FBI at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, in the parking lot of  Perkins Restaurant in the Colonia section of Woodbridge, New Jersey. (The restaurant itself was not involved in the case in any way.)

According to the criminal complaint, the case began in July of 2009 when Passalaqua approached a relative of someone Passalaqua identified as a victim of a violent crime. Passalaqua told the relative specific details of the crime and the names of four individuals Passalaqua claimed to be the perpetrators of the violent crime. At that initial meeting in July, Passalaqua allegedly offered to murder the four individuals he named in exchange for a cash payment from the relative. (The violent crime to which Passalaqua referred is a separate matter being worked jointly between the FBI and the agencies named above.)

The relative agreed to meet with Passalaqua again on September 13 at a diner in Edison, New Jersey. Passalaqua had insisted that they be alone, that they only communicate their business during the meeting by writing notes to one another, and that the relative turn off his or her cell phone. During this second meeting, Passalaqua allegedly made the following representations (among others), based on information in the criminal complaint:

• Passalaqua set a price of $30,000 for the murders of three of the four individuals, with half of the cash paid prior to the job. The fourth individual would be handled “when he comes back, everything is the same.”
• The relative would need to provide Passalaqua a revolver, preferably a .357 or 40 caliber, with hollow point bullets if possible.
• Passalaqua would be able to commit the murders within two weeks of the September 13th meeting, possibly sooner depending on his receipt of the down-payment.
• Passalaqua would need time to practice with the revolver to “get the feel of the kick and to make sure of the accuracy because I’m gonna be…this close.”
• The murders would not be discovered right away. The intended targets would “just be missing.”

In a subsequent conversation with the relative, Passalaqua allegedly claimed that he might be able to get the gun he requested himself.

On September 23, 2009, Passalaqua met with the relative in the parking lot of the Perkins restaurant in Colonia (Woodbridge), New Jersey. According to the complaint, Passalaqua accepted a $15,000 cash payment from the relative. Passalaqua was then arrested by the FBI.

“This case is frightening, to say the least,” remarked Weysan Dun. “To think that someone would market themselves to victims of a crime in an offer to commit cold-blooded murder is disturbing on many levels. Fortunately, the people Mr. Passalaqua approached brought this to our attention and we were able to protect the safety of all involved. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the FBI agents of our Franklin Township Resident Agency, the investigators from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office, and the Woodbridge and Sayreville police departments who were all equally instrumental in the successful outcome of this matter.”

Passalaqua had an initial appearance before the Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo, United States Magistrate Judge in Newark, New Jersey on Thursday, September 24, 2009. He was remanded into custody. A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.