Alleged Gang Member Pleads Guilty In Rutgers College Student Shooting

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A young man pleaded guilty to attempted murder in a drive-by shooting this April in New Brunswick, where a young female Rutgers college student was hit by a stray bullet while asleep in her apartment.

The man who pleaded guilty is Christian Farmer, 20, of New Brunswick; police previously said in the affidavit that he and the other young men with him that night are associated with a subset of the Bloods street gang.

Farmer was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses, but ended up pleading guilty Wednesday to one count of first-degree murder, plus a weapons charge. He will be sentenced September 30 and could serve up to 15 years in prison.

This was the drive-by shooting that happened April 5 outside the Golden Rail Pub at 66 Easton Avenue, in the heart of New Brunswick's college nightlife district, and just steps from main campus.

Police say at 2 a.m. on that date, Farmer indiscriminately fired a barrage of gunshots in the direction of the bar, while about a dozen college students stood outside. This was after he got into an argument with other men on the sidewalk earlier that night.

A 21-year-old Rutgers college student was asleep in the apartment she rented above the Golden Rail. She was shot in the stomach as bullets flew into her apartment, said the prosecutor. She was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she had to undergo multiple surgeries, and police said she was at risk of being paralyzed.

Her current condition is unknown as of the writing of this report.

A second Rutgers student, a young man, was standing outside the Golden Rail and he was hit in head and arm by projectile fragments from the shooting. The young man was able to take himself to the hospital that night.

The Golden Rail Pub is a popular hang-out for college students. Buildings nearby — 68 Easton Avenue and 135 Somerset Street — also had bullet holes in them.

Security cameras showed that earlier that night, a physical altercation broke out on the sidewalk at 60 Easton Avenue between Farmer and two other men. Cameras showed Farmer pull a handgun with a green laser attached to it and point it at the men, but then put it back into his waistband.

Farmer and two other men then got into a red, two-door Dodge Challenger and drove off, but parked a short distance away, on Hamilton Street. Police said they watched as the two men involved in the earlier fight walked away from the Golden Rail, and Farmer aimed the gun at them. The green laser could be seen from the passenger side window of the Challenger, said police, and police say Farmer released a stream of bullets in the direction of the bar.

The Dodge Challenger fled the scene. Shell casings were recovered, and New Brunswick Police/Prosecutor's detectives were able to locate the Challenger using automated license plate readers.

Charges are still pending against the three other young men in the car with Farmer that night:

• Walter Rodriguez-Cardenas, 20, was arrested without incident in Plainfield, where he lives. Police say he drove the getaway car. He was charged with third-degree armed riot and third-degree hindering the apprehension of another.
• Ryan Nasi, 22, of Hillsborough, charged with third-degree armed riot.
• Sayyid Acosta, 21, of Plainfield, charged with third-degree armed riot.

After the shooting, the two men who were the intended target were interviewed by police. They said they knew the suspects to be members of the "brims," a subset of the Bloods criminal street gang, according to the affidavit.

Initial Patch report on this incident: Stray Bullet Hits Woman Inside Her Apt. Near Rutgers Campus (April 5)

Rutgers Student Shot In Stomach In Gang-Related Attack: Police (April 9)