Athens man arrested after series of armed carjackings in Owego

OWEGO, N.Y. ( WETM ) — An Athens man is behind bars on $100,000 cash bail after police said he was responsible for a string of armed carjackings and robberies in Owego.

According to the Owego Police Department, 30-year-old Nicholas Cron was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 28, after he had been on the run from police for nearly 10 days for crimes that occurred on Aug. 19.

Cron was located and arrested on Wednesday on the following charges:

• Robbery in the first degree, a class B felony.
• Criminal use of a firearm in the first degree, a class B felony.
• Burglary in the second degree, a class C felony.
• Criminal possession of a firearm in the Third Degree, a class D felony.

Police say that on Monday, Aug. 19, police were investigating a burglary at an industrial property at 200 West Ave. in Owego. Police say that while Cron was burglarizing a building, a civilian confronted him, but Cron showed a gun at the person and fled from the area on foot.

Around 11:25 a.m. on the same day, police say they located Cron, who ran to a nearby vehicle at the intersection of Fox and McMaster Street, showed a gun, and then took over and stole the vehicle. He then fled the area in the stolen vehicle.

After fleeing again, an active search continued for Cron by Owego Police with assistance from New York State Police, the Tioga County Sheriff’s Department, K-9 units, the NYSP Violent Felony Warrant Squad, NYSP Community Stabilization Unit, Waverly Police and Sayre Police. This search continued throughout south Owego, Nichols, Waverly and Pennsylvania. Police say that during this time, Cron had stolen numerous other vehicles and property from several other victims.

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, around 6 p.m., police say that the Violent Felony Warrant Squad discovered Cron’s location in the area of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Gould Road in Owego. Owego Police and its K-9 unit then arrived at the scene to assist NYSP in Cron’s arrest.

At this time, police say that Cron was confronted by police, at which time he attempted to flee from police again on a stolen UTV, but then crashed. He was then captured and arrested by police after a brief struggle, which resulted in no injuries.

Following his arrest, Cron had his charges read to him at the Tioga County CAP court and was returned to the Tioga County Jail on a $100,000 cash or $200,000 bail bond or $1,000,000 secured bond. Additional charges are also pending for Cron by agencies that participated in his search and arrest.

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