Bergen County Man Fatally Shot Victim On Hoboken Pier: Prosecutor

HOBOKEN, NJ — The Bergen County man who shot another man to death on the Hoboken waterfront last weekend — then dumped his body in the Hudson River — shot him in the back of the head after they walked to a Hoboken pier, according to court documents.

The suspect, Erick Fernandez, 26, of Lodi, also has a prior conviction for domestic violence, says the criminal complaint in the case.

Fernandez was charged with first-degree murder last week in the death of Julio Flores, 23, of Passaic, said the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office last week.

The case complaint describes Flores as a "friend" of Fernandez.

Hudson County prosecutors said last week that on Feb. 2, a Sunday, the Lodi Police Department contacted the Hoboken Police saying they'd gotten "multiple tips" about a killing the day before.

Police were told "that a male had been fatally shot ... in a restricted area of the Hoboken waterfront near Castle Point Skate Park."

After a four-day investigation, the Hoboken police determined that Fernandez shot Flores in that area on Saturday. Fernandez took Flores' car and personal belongings and drove away, prosecutors said. But he returned later to dump Flores into the river.

Law enforcement agencies have been conducting water searches but have not found Flores.

The criminal complaint says that police saw a "large area of blood" at the scene.

What Happened That Day

According to the criminal complaint, Fernandez and Flores drove to Castle Point Skate Park in Flores' BMW. (The skate park is located near the Hudson River, in a fenced-off industrial area slated for redevelopment into a recreational park).

Flores parked his car. Then, Fernandez "directed him to the Hudson River waterfront pier's restricted section," the complaint says.

That was where Fernandez shot Flores in the back of the head, the criminal complaint says.

Fernandez took the keys and drove the victim's car to Hawthorne. Someone picked them up in Hawthorne and drove them to a location in Lodi — but along the way, they stopped and Fernandez dropped the gun down a sewage grate, the complaint says.

Some time after arriving in Lodi, Fernandez got a ride back to the skate park and told the driver that"he needed to hide a body," the complaint says.

Fernandez also told at least one person that he had used a Colt 45 pistol with hollow point ammunition to kill Flores, and that he had stolen the victim's vehicle, wallet, ID card, and car keys.

Police have since obtained surveillance video of some of Fernandez' activities, including throwing the gun in the sewer. The complaint says police found the gun in a sewer catch basin, and confiscated the victim's car.

By Monday afternoon, a shrine with candles and flowers had grown along the fence that closes off the skate park.

Warrant Issued

A warrant for Fernandez’ arrest was issued this past Thursday, but Fernandez was already in custody at the Garfield Police Department on an unrelated matter, prosecutors said last week.

Fernandez has been charged with first-degree murder, as well as felony murder, weapons charges, desecrating human remains, and robbery, prosecutors said.

Fernandez is being held at the Hudson County Correctional Facility to await his first court appearance, prosecutors said.

The Hoboken, Lodi, Hawthorne, Garfield, New York City, and Stevens Institute of Technology are. all investigating, prosecutors said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: hcpo.opsnetwork.org/tips. All information will be kept confidential.

PRIOR REPORTING: Man Fatally Shot In Hoboken, Dumped In Hudson River: Prosecutor