For Immediate Release:
March 6, 2025

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of 31-year-old ROBERT WICHOWSKI and 28-year-old XIOMARA FRIAS-BARBOSA, both of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, for strict liability drug-induced death of another and drug offenses. These arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Hackensack Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Antista.

On Saturday, November 2, 2024, at approximately 6:36 p.m., the Hackensack Police Department responded to a medical emergency at a private residence. Responding officers located the victim, a 54-year-old man, who was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene. Indicators of a possible drug overdose were noted, and detectives from the Hackensack Police Department were notified. Detectives determined that the victim ingested a substance believed to contain Fentanyl.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force was notified and joined the investigation with the Hackensack Police Department into the death of the victim and the related drug activity. Following months of investigation, detectives determined that the controlled dangerous substance ingested by the victim contained Fentanyl, and identified ROBERT WICHOWSKI and XIOMARA FRIAS-BARBOSA, who distributed the fatal dose of narcotics to the victim, causing his death.

On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, alongside members of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department, and with the assistance of the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, detectives from the Hackensack Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force executed a search warrant at a residence associated with ROBERT WICHOWSKI and XIOMARA FRIAS-BARBOSA in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. During the court-authorized search, detectives located several hundred bags of suspected Fentanyl and drug paraphernalia.

As a result of the investigation, ROBERT WICHOWSKI and XIOMARA FRIAS-BARBOSA were arrested and charged with first-degree strict liability for drug-induced death, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-9; second-degree possession with the intent to distribute Fentanyl, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(4); third-degree possession with the intent to distribute Fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a school, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7a; third-degree distribution of Fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a school, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7a; third-degree distribution of Fentanyl, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(5); and fourth-degree possession of drug paraphernalia, N.J.S.A. 2C:36-3. WICHOWSKI and FRIAS-BARBOSA were both remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending their first appearances in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Prosecutor Mark Musella states that the charges in this matter are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella thanks and recognizes the Hackensack Police Department for their work on this investigation. Additionally, Prosecutor Musella thanks the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation, as well as the Garfield Police Department, which participates in the Bergen County Narcotic Task Force.