UPDATE (5/7): NJ.com has reported that Jerome K. Williams of New Brunswick was the individual arrested. Â Police are still seeking another individual who was in the car with him and the as-yet-unidentified occupants of the green Hyundai Santa Fe that was also involved.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Police received reports of shots being fired from automobiles in the vicinity of Joyce Kilmer Avenue and Suydam Street at about 12:11 pm this afternoon.
Police said they were following a grey Acura they believed to be involved in the shooting, but lost track of it.
The chase led police towards North Brunswick on Joyce Kilmer Avenue, crossing over Livingston Avenue, and looping back down Lee Avenue.
One officer said the Acura was “shooting at another car that was headed towards French Street,”
But later on, other information suggested that the other vehicle might have been shooting as well.
“According to my witnesses here, it was the green Buick with the duct tape on the front that was shooting at the grey Acura with the duct tape on the front,” said another officer.
An arrest was made at 12:18pm in the vicinity of 46 May Street, after a man was sighted running through backyards. Â They also searched the neighborhood for the Acura and eventually found it, along with two guns and dried blood inside the vehicle.
Another person was transported to police headquarters from 11 Charles Street.
Police looked for at least one other vehicle that may have been involved in the shootings, while other cops searching for shell casings near the intersection of Livingston Avenue and Handy Street.
Officers used markers to indicate the locations where three casings were found on Handy and another two on Livingston, necesitating the closure of the busy roads.
A dispatcher told officers, “A second vehicle that was involved was a green Buick with blue duct tape on the headlights traveling down Baldwin with four individuals in the vehicle.”
Dispatchers also said that a passing motorist saw three black men up out of a vehicle at Costa Chica restaurant on Handy Street.
An officer on-scene relayed reports from eyewitnesses: “Light green Hyundai Santa Fe, back window blown out, two [black] males got out. Â They looked around, looked it over and they hopped back in and took off.”
“I’m not sure if it’s related or not. Â They told somebody in the parking lot, ‘They tried to steal my car,'” said the officer.
This is a developing story. Â Please check back later today for more information.
Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.
