Two Union Co. Men Charged With Murder In Death of 17-Year-Old

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Two men from Elizabeth were arrested Wednesday and charged in connection with the killing of a 17-year-old boy this past September, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Elizabeth Police jointly announced Friday.

Tyreek Howard, 31, and Ali Karim, 18, were both charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose following the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Paul Baez of Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Police found Baez, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds, on the 100 block of Fulton Street on Sept. 27. He was subsequently pronounced dead, Assistant Prosecutor Jillian Reyes said.

A $10,000 reward was previously being offered to locate the suspects involved in the shooting.

A subsequent investigation led by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force and the Elizabeth Police Department led to the identification of Howard and Karim as suspects.

They were both arrested Wednesday in Elizabeth were sent to Union County Jail pending initial court appearances.

“We appreciate the hard work and the collaboration with our local law enforcement agencies who assisted our Office in locating and apprehending the suspects,” Prosecutor Daniel said. “And we hope that this arrest can bring some small measure of comfort to all those grieving Mr. Baez.”

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Sergeant Lamar Hartsfield at (908) 451-1873, Detective Sean Holcomb (908) 358-8377 or Elizabeth Police Department Detective Edward Benenati at (908) 328-6972.