Crime & Safety
2 Teens Nabbed In Union Co. Shooting, Murder Attempt: Police
The arrests come after months of "unacceptable" violence in the area, police said.
LINDEN, NJ - Two Union County teens were arrested last week in connection with a driveway shooting in January, authorities said.
Naomi Gilles, 18, and a 17-year-old male, both of Rahway, were arrested Wednesday and charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Linden police said Friday.
The charges stem from a months-long investigation into a Jan. 22 shooting in Linden that concluded on Wednesday, Aug. 2, police said.
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At around 1 p.m. on the day of the incident, Linden police officers responded to the 600 block of Cleveland Avenue for the reported shooting.
A victim told police that a vehicle pulled up to him as he was backing out of his driveway and fired 4 to 5 shots at his vehicle before fleeing the area.
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No injuries were reported during the incident, police said.
"Residents have the right to feel safe in our community, and we will continue our commitment to investigate each and every one of these senseless crimes in our neighborhood until the criminals are apprehended,” Linden Police Chief David Hart said in a statement.
At least two other shootings have been reported around Cleveland Avenue since the January incident, police said: one on June 24 on the 800 block of Cleveland Avenue and another on June 27 at the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Roselle Street.
No injuries were reported in the first incident, though officers found “multiple” cars hit by gunfire.
In the second incident, a 25-year-old Linden man arrived at Trinitas Hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound believed to be sustained during the shooting.
"This violence is unacceptable, and we will use every available resource to end these shootings and restore the sense of security that our community is accustomed to," Hart said in a statement regarding the June shootings.
Both incidents remain under investigation by the Linden Police Detective Bureau. And anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Nick Philippakos at 908-474-8530 or via email at nphilippakos@lpdnj.org.
Information about these incidents or any other crime can also be shared anonymously via email to crimetips@lpdnj.org.
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