Fundraisers For Jersey City Shooting Victims Raise $315K In A Day

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A pair of fundraisers have been launched for the victims of a deadly shootout in Jersey City, with the combined campaigns receiving more than $315,000 worth of donations in a single day.

A vigil for the victims is being planned for Friday, Dec. 13 (see details at the bottom of this article).

During a harrowing confrontation in Jersey City on Dec. 10, a pair of heavily armed shooters killed four victims, including Jersey City Detective Joseph Seals, Leah Mindel Ferencz, 32, Moshe Hersh Deutsch, 24, and Douglas “Miguel” Rodriguez, 49.

Police fatally shot the two suspects, David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50.

Authorities initially said the attack didn’t appear to be an act of terrorism. However, on Thursday, representatives with the FBI, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the shooting is being investigated as a “domestic terrorism incident with a hate-crime bias slant.”

• See related article: 6 Killed In Jersey City Shooting Standoff
• See related article: Chilling Details Revealed After 6 Killed In Jersey City Shooting

There are three separate fundraisers for the victims. Read more about each below.

MOURNING A JERSEY CITY POLICE OFFICER

On Wednesday, the Jersey City POBA shared a link to an official GoFundMe campaign for Seals. As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser has seen more than $258,000 in contributions from 3,700 donors.

All of the funds will go directly to the Seals family, helping them cover education, housing, and other expenses for the five children "that Joe loved so dearly," police wrote.

Mourners include Seals’ daughter, Hailey, who recently graduated from Cranford High School.

Authorities have warned people to be aware of potentially fake fundraising efforts being held in Seals’ name, advising them to donate to the Jersey City POBA’s official GoFundMe campaign.

• See related article: Fake Fundraisers Profiting From Jersey City Shooting, Cops Warn

A spokesperson for GoFundMe told Patch the company is reviewing all campaigns, contacting every campaign organizer, and will transfer all of the money raised for the family of Det. Seals directly to his family.

“At this time, we encourage everyone to donate to the fundraiser created by the Jersey City POBA,” the spokesperson said.

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A FAMILY IN CRISIS

Meanwhile, a separate fundraiser has been launched to aid the civilian victims of the shooting. Those victims include Ferencz, who – along with her husband – owned the kosher grocery store at 223 Martin Luther King Drive where the shooting happened.

Deutch was shopping in the store at the time of the shooting. Rodriguez was a worker at the grocery store, campaign organizers said.

Ferencz leaves three young children behind. The store was devastated in the shooting, leaving the family without a source of income, Chabad.org stated.

Read more about the fundraising campaign or make a donation.

As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign has raised more than $65,000. Funds will be used to support the Ferencz family and help them rebuild their grocery store, and cover funeral costs for the three civilian victims, organizers stated.

According to the campaign:

“We, their brothers and sisters; we their family and friends; we the united Jewish community; we the greater community of all righteous Americans; we the global community of good people everywhere will not stand silent as the blood of our people flows along the Hudson River!”

Rabbi Moshe Schapiro, who co-directs Chabad of Hoboken and Jersey City, was among the people who visited a fifth victim of the shooting in the hospital. That victim, who hasn’t been named, managed to slip out the back door of the store when the gunfire began.

Schapiro is spearheading the fundraiser with Jewish community leaders in the Greenville section of the city, including Laizer Breuer, principal at Mosodos Greenville, and Moshe Eidles, an administrator at Mosdos Greenville.

“People have been asking how they can help,” Schapiro told Chabad.org. “We want to make sure that the three young Ferencz [children] have whatever they need in the days, weeks and months ahead.”

'HE CAME TO THIS COUNTRY FOR A BETTER LIFE'

A third fundraiser for Douglas Rodriguez has raised more than $67,000 as of Friday morning.

All funds raised will go directly to the wife and young daughter of Rodriguez. Funds will cover the planned burial in Ecuador, as well as the continued support of his wife and daughter, which includes housing, education and other expenses.

See the campaign or make a donation.

According to the GoFundMe campaign:

"Douglas Rodriguez came to this country for better life with his wife and daughter. He was a devoted husband, friend, and father, He was a God-loving, honest and hard-working person was who always available to help others. He had been working at the store for about a year before this devastating and unexpected loss. We would appreciate any help from the community to help his family cover funeral expenses. He was very much the provider in his family, so anything you can give will help his wife and daughter greatly."

Organizers offered an update about Rodriguez on Dec. 13:

"Last night the family met with members of the Jewish community and got to learn about Miguel's final moments. We would like to take the opportunity to share what we have learned. Miguel died after heroically putting the lives of others before his. For some reason, this does not come as a shock to the family. Miguel has always been the man in the family to selflessly put others before him. Miguel's life has followed a pattern of selflessness. He decided to come to the United States in search of a better future for his family. His first goal was to allow his daughter to have a chance of a future through education. He exemplified hard work by continuously working and providing for his family. Regardless of the hours he worked, Miguel seemed to find the time to come together with family. His desire to create a better sense of family for his daughter, Amy remained his number one objective. We will miss Miguel's laughter and his compassion. Most importantly we will miss the sense of security he provided for those he loved."

GUN VIOLENCE VIGIL

Several anti-violence groups in the Hudson County area will host a candlelight vigil in Jersey City to remember the victims and honor the survivors on Friday, Dec. 13.

The vigil will take place at 4:30 p.m. at the Jersey City Hall annex, 1 Jackson Square. According to organizers, the event will include traditional Shabbat blessings and prayers.

Organizers wrote:

“The coalition of organizations invites everyone who is able to unify in paying respect to the victims, to the communities affected by bigotry, and to every person whose lives are impacted by the gun violence epidemic.”

Supporters of the vigil include Students Demand Action, Moms Demand Action, the Hudson Partnership CMO and the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition.

• See related article: Jersey City Cop Rushes Into Deadly Shootout To Aid Fellow Officer
• See related article: Muslim Community Expresses Sorrow Over Jersey City Shooting

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