Friday, October 2, 2026 · Serving all of Hudson County since March 2011TWO JERSEY CITY MEN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF 17-YEAR-OLD JERSEY CITY GIRL
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information: The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit arrested and charged Darby Shirden, age 20, of Winfield Avenue in Jersey City, and…
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit arrested and charged Darby Shirden, age 20, of Winfield Avenue in Jersey City, and Shaquan Rush, 20, of Bayside Place in Jersey City, in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old Stephanie Jacques and the attempted murder of an 18-year-old man in Jersey City.
Shirden was arrested on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, just after 11 p.m. without incident at 116 Old Bergen Road, with the assistance of the Jersey City Police Department Street Crimes Unit. Rush was arrested without incident on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, just after 9 a.m. at 17 Bayside Place.
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Shirden and Rush have both been charged with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3A(1)(2), a first-degree crime; Attempted Murder in Violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1A(1), a first-degree crime; Conspiracy to Commit Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2(A)1, a first-degree charge; Possession of a Weapon (firearm) for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4A(1), a second-degree crime; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (firearm) in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5B(1), a second-degree crime; and Receiving Stolen Property in Violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7A, a third-degree crime.
On Wednesday, April 1, 2020, just before 8:00 p.m., members of the Jersey City Police Department responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Forrest Street in Jersey City.
Responding officers founded an 18-year-old male victim who had sustained gunshot wound(s) to the lower body and was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was treated. The second victim, a 17-year-old female, later identified as Stephanie Jacques, was located on the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Oak Street. Jacques also sustained a gunshot wound to her lower body and was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center for treatment and was later released. She was re-transported to the Jersey City Medical Center on the morning of April 2, 2020 and pronounced dead at 10:57 a.m.
The cause of death was determined to be from a gunshot wound and the manner of death was determined to be homicide.
Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department for the investigation and arrest.
The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6(b)(6).