NJ Teen Charged With Attempted Murder In Shooting Near Carnival

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - A 15-year-old girl from New Brunswick has been charged with attempted murder and related charges in connection with a shooting near a carnival at an East Brunswick mall last week, authorities said.

The teen, whose identity was not released due to her age, was charged on Thursday with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery and related weapons offenses, the East Brunswick Police Department said in a statement on Sunday. She was later remanded to the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center.

The charges stem from a shooting incident on May 13 near the festival grounds for the multi-day LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) Fest Carnival on the other side of the Brunswick Square Mall by Habit Burger, police said. Read More: Armed Robbery, Shooting, Kidnapping Reports In, Near Mall Carnival: PD

That day, police received a report made from the SureStay Hotel by Best Western across from the mall that people were running from sounds of gunshots coming from the area of Habit Burger, police said.

Though authorities initially found no victims or evidence of a shooting, a closer look yielded the discovery of a spent shell casing found in the parking lot of the Habit Burger later that evening, police said.

A follow-up investigation conducted by Detective Matthew Kole found that the 15-year-old suspect reportedly fired “several” shots from a handgun toward a group of individuals walking near Habit Burger, police said. The probe also found that she was the same suspect allegedly behind an armed robbery in which three victims had their sneakers stolen at gunpoint near Highway 18 and Cindy Way that evening.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Kole at 732-390-6990 or mkole@ebpd.net.

A report of a female victim yelling that she was being kidnapped from inside a black pickup truck in the mall parking lot on the same day as the reported shooting incident is also being investigated by police. There were no reports of a missing person or other witnesses to the reported event as of last week, police said.

On May 15, Mayor Brad Cohen said the festival won’t shut down amid the incident reports, noting that new safety measures would be put in place to enhance security.

“Like many of you, I am outraged by the events that took place at the L.E.A.D. Fest Carnival this past Saturday night. While I cannot comment about an active investigation, I can say that this was the result of an internet-based pop-up mob that targeted our town, among others,” he said in a statement, adding that the “ youth that perpetrated the offenses” hailed primarily from Newark, Franklin, New Brunswick and Sayreville.

Additional safety measures include mandatory adult chaperones for those under 18, the employment of metal detectors at entry, beefed up staffing levels and prohibition of re-entry.

The LEAD Fest Carnival is a multi-day family fun “youth carnival experience” hosted by LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs), a nonprofit “committed to protecting our youth and communities from the proliferation of drugs, drug-related crimes, peer to peer/cyberbullying and violence, according to the organization’s website. The East Brunswick leg of the statewide fest is scheduled for May 12 to 29. Other locations include Voorhees, Westfield, Eatontown and West Windsor.