Crime

Lynn man arrested for robbery at Beverly mansion, charged with home invasion, kidnapping

The man was arrested after a two-week manhunt for a suspect who robbed one of the most expensive properties in Greater Boston.

An armed robbery occurred at a waterfront mansion in Beverly in March. Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe

April 14, 2026

2 minutes to read

A Lynn man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a break-in and armed robbery at a massive Beverly mansion, according to prosecutors.

Emajae Brown, 25, has been charged with home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over age 60, kidnapping, witness intimidation, armed assault in a dwelling, armed burglary, breaking and entering in a building at night, larceny of a motor vehicle, and larceny over $1200, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

Brown was arraigned in Salem District Court and held without bail, court records show. He pleaded not guilty on the charges and is scheduled to return to court April 21 for a dangerousness hearing.

Attorney information for Brown was not publicly listed Tuesday night.

What happened at the Rock Edge mansion in Beverly?

The arrest comes after a two-week search for a suspect who broke into the historic Rock Edge mansion in Beverly and took off in a stolen car with several valuables. The mansion was famously once owned by athlete and socialite Eleanora Sears, and it was purchased for $18.2 million in 2023.

At about 8:50 a.m. on March 28, Beverly police responded to a 911 call about a home invasion at the property. Authorities determined that a suspect had broken in, assaulted and tied up the mansion’s sole occupant, and stole several unspecified items, which he fled with in a stolen Porsche.

The assault victim was taken to Beverly Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The stolen vehicle was later located and recovered by police.

Thomas J. Swan III is the mansion’s current owner. He is the co-CEO and director of The Swan Group, which owns commercial real estate and several utility businesses.

Swan told The Boston Globe that the woman who was home at the time was a caretaker and family friend. He said that she was forced around the mansion at gunpoint, pistol-whipped, and dragged down staircases by her hair.

The masked suspect then tied the caretaker up and left her in the garage. She was eventually able to get free and run to a neighbor’s home to call the police.

History of the Rock Edge

The mansion, located in Beverly’s affluent Prides Crossing neighborhood, has a long history in the Greater Boston real estate market. It was built in 1904 and commissioned by Marian Sargent, a descendant of Thomas Jefferson.

Sears, a national tennis champion and Sargent’s niece, later inherited the mansion. After her death, it was sold to the Benevento family in 1970.

Decades later, the Rock Edge has been completely renovated. The mansion went back on the market in 2021, where it was listed for $22 million, before it was purchased by Swan two years later.

The 28,000-square-foot mansion has 11 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, 14 wood-burning fireplaces, and a 1,500-square-foot kitchen. Its sale was the most expensive transaction on the market in Beverly history.