Noah Cohen
A 16-year-old Neptune Township boy was charged with murder Thursday in an Asbury Park shooting that killed a 10-year-old boy and left the child’s mother wounded, authorities said.
Neither the slain 10-year-old nor his 39-year-old mother were the intended targets of the shooting, according to authorities. Instead, the prosecutor’s office investigation found that the shooter was gunning for a man who was in the same Ridge Avenue home as the two victims.
The teen, whose name was not released because of his age, was arrested without incident at Neptune High School on Thursday morning, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. He also faces aggravated assault, conspiracy and weapons charges in the slaying.
The 16-year-old is not believed to be the shooter and authorities were still searching Thursday night for the person who opened fire at the house, a law enforcement source told NJ Advance Media.
“The Prosecutor’s Office alerted both the school and the district to the impending arrest,” Gramiccioni said in a statement. “Due to school protocols, Neptune High School was briefly in a lockdown status following the arrest.”
Police responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired at the home around 10:40 p.m. Wednesday in Asbury Park, the prosecutor’s office said. The young boy died around 11:20 p.m. while his mother was treated for her injuries and later released from an area hospital.
A neighbor, Louis Rodriguez, said the boy’s family “didn’t look for problems, they were very good.”
“I feel so bad. He he was a baby, very calm,” he said in Spanish.
“Any act of violence is always disheartening, particularly when it happens in our community,” acting Asbury Park schools Superintendent Sancha K. Gray said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family of the 10-year-old boy who was shot and subsequently died.”
Authorities did not reveal more details on what led to the shooting. Anyone with information was asked to call prosecutor’s office Detective Brian Weisbrot at 800-533-7443 or Asbury Park police Detective Sean DeShader at 732-774-1300.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Monmouth County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-671-4400, or via text message to “MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637. Tipster can also send information at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com
