The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A 25-year-old New Brunswick man faces attempted murder and other charges after he shot a township resident’s car while allegedly trying to shoot another person.
The incident, which happened on September 13, began when the township resident was driving his car on Easton Avenue near Girard Avenue when, he told police, he heard a loud noise.
The resident assumed they’d driven over debris on the road, but upon arriving home, saw bullet holes in the car’s trunk.
Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Franklin Township responded when the resident called at about 6:45 p.m., according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
The detectives’ investigation revealed that the New Brunswick man drove out of an Easton Avenue businesses’ parking lot, then stopped near Girard.
Detectives say the man then opened his driver’s side door and started to shoot at an occupied car parked on Girard.
At the same time, the township resident was driving down Easton by Girard, and their car was hit, according to the release.
The New Brunswick man then closed his door and drove off, according to the release.
Detectives found two spent shell casings near the scene of the alleged shooting, the release said.
The man was charged with 1st Degree Attempted Murder, 2nd Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, 2nd Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and 3rd Degree Endangering Another Person, according to the release.
The man was served with the complaint on September 28 at the Middlesex County Correction Center, North Brunswick, where he was lodged on an unrelated complaint since September 25, the release said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
