Gabriel Mercado, 23, of Lodi, NJ; Isaac Mejia, 23, of Paterson, NJ; Steven Batista, 20, of Malden, MA; and a 17-year-old kid from Paterson, NJ, were charged in connection with non-fatal shootings in April and June, according to the release.
According to the release, Mercado and Mejia got arrested on June 27th during a traffic stop by the New Jersey State Police Violent & Organized Crime Control North Bureau, in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
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According to the release, they faced charges of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon during a CDS Offense, Possession of CDS, Possession of CDS with the Intent to Distribute, and Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine.
In relation to a shooting that took place on June 4, Mercado has been charged with Attempted Murder, Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose, Aggravated Assault, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
On a Tuesday evening, around 10:51 p.m., a 29-year-old man from Paterson was shot in the vicinity of 10th Avenue and East 23rd Street. He sustained non-fatal gunshot wounds and was immediately transported to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center for medical attention.
According to the release, it was found during the investigation that Mr. Mercardo was accountable for the shooting.
Prior to this incident, Mercardo was facing charges for a shooting that occurred in Paterson at 3:14 p.m. on April 17, at the intersection of Lyon and Mercer streets. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
Batista and the teenager involved in the incident were charged with various offenses. Batista faced charges of Attempted Murder, Unlawful Possession of Handgun, Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose, Possession of a Large Capacity Magazine, Joyriding, Obstruction, Hindering, and Tampering with Evidence. Meanwhile, the teenager was charged with acts of juvenile delinquency, as mentioned in the release.
According to officials, Mr. Batista had previously been filed for detention by the State, and on April 30, 2024, a Superior Court Judge approved the State’s Motion for pre-trial detention.
Mercardo and Mejia are facing pretrial detention as the State has filed motions for the same.
