Top law enforcement officials who attended a hastily convened news conference at One Police Plaza here yesterday afternoon offered only sketchy details about the arrests and discovery of the body, citing, among other things, the ages of the suspects.
Potential charges in the case include kidnapping, armed robbery and murder, according to several investigators who asked not to be identified. Those same sources said that authorities are expected to file motions to try the suspects, who are 16 or 17, as adults. The case is expected to be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark.
Those sources also credited investigators from a special Manhattan North narcotics squad with developing the leads that led to yesterday's arrests. They said a drug informant overheard at least one of the suspects discussing Gross' abduction late last week and notified investigators with the narcotics unit.
By Saturday, detectives who were searching for two of the juveniles discovered Gross' silver-gray BMW parked in front of an abandoned building in a drug-infested neighborhood around 158th Street in Washington Heights.
All three juveniles were arrested before dawn yesterday, either in their homes or on the street. One then led investigators to Gross' body, according to sources.
Police Commissioner Howard Safir, flanked by nearly a dozen other law enforcement officials whose units were involved in the case, said at yesterday's news conference that robbery appeared to be the motive for the murder. But he would not say when or where authorities believe Gross was killed. Nor would he comment on whether any money had been recovered. Gross disappeared the morning of Sept. 17 shortly after withdrawing $20,000 from a local bank branch office in Edgewater.
