2nd Juvenile Charged with Murder in Connection to December Shooting of Jersey City Teenager

Photo Credit:  Greenville Memorial Home                                                                                                                                                                                            Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has announced that a second juvenile has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the December 16, 2021 shooting death of a 16-year old in Jersey City.

Pedro Rodriguez, 16, was fatally shot in Jersey City on that date.  The 17-year-old surrendered himself to detectives with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit in Jersey City on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. He is charged as a juvenile with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1) and 2C:11-3a(2), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b, and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1). He is being detained at the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center pending his first court appearance.

Juvenile matters are confidential and no additional information can be released at this time.

Suarez says on Thursday, December 16, 2021, at approximately 11:45 a.m., the Jersey City Police Department responded to the area of 600 Communipaw Avenue on a report of shots fired. Responding officers found an unresponsive male victim at that location with apparent gunshot wounds. The victim, later identified as Pedro Rodriguez, 16, of Jersey City, was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 12:00 p.m. The Regional Medical Examiner determined the Cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death to be homicide.

A second juvenile, a 17-year-old, was arrested on Monday, December 27, 2021. He is charged with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1) and 2C:11-3a(2), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b.

The above charges are merely accusations and the juvenile is presumed innocent until proven guilty.