FRANKLIN, NJ—On May 3, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announced that the privately-run county “Crime Stoppers” is offering “rewards of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction” of the shooters behind as tring of “non-fatal shootings.”

It started at approximately 3:35 p.m. on April 19, when Franklin Township Police Department (FTPD) responding to reports gunshots found a 29-year-old New Brunswick man outside of a residence on Fuller Street.

Fuller Street is located next to the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, just across the county line from the New Brunswick Housing Authority’s Schwarz Homes and Robeson Village neighborhoods.   

The following day, prosecutors announced that the unidentified man suffered a gunshot wound to his “lower extremity” and was hospitalized after officers provided medical aid.

On May 1, the Somerset County Prosectuor’s Office (SCPO) announced that there had been a second shooting on April 28.

Just before midnight that night officers were dispatched deeper into the Somerset section of Franklin Township, specifically “the area of Baier Avenue,” a four-block street located off Hamilton Street.  There, they found an 18-year-old female who also suffered a gunshot wound to her “lower extremity.”

Like the New Brunswick man, officers provided medical aid to this victim, before she was “transported to a local trauma center for emergency treatment.”

FTPD Detectives, along with those from the SCPO’s Major Crimes Unit, said that the investigation “revealed that this was an isolated incident and the victim was not the intended target.”

On May 1, another shooting occurred, this one very close to the first of the three.

Callers told FTPD they heard gunshots in the area of Mark and Parkside Streets, according to the SCPO.  But officers actually located the 21-year-old male victim “in the area of Millstone Road and Route 27,” which serves as the border between Middlesex and Somerset Counties. 

The victim suffered a gunshot wound “to his right forearm,” said authorities, who also confirmed officers provided aid before he was transported to a local trauma center for emergency treatment.

“The victim is not cooperating with law enforcement authorities,” read the May 3 press release from the SCPO.

Even still, the SCPO did not release the identities of any of the three victims.

People interested in helping solve any of the cases who want to remain anonymous were asked to call the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477), or submit tips online at 888577tips.org or scpo.net.

“All anonymous Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential,” says the SCPO statement.

Those who don’t desire anonymity can directly contact the SCPO Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100, or the FTPD (732) 873-5533. 

Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

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.

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.