Investigators have identified a vehicle believed to have been used in the fatal shooting of an Elizabeth resident a week and a half ago, and assistance from the public is being requested to connect it to the person or persons responsible for the crime, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Tuesday.
The Prosecutor’s Office today is releasing video surveillance footage depicting the vehicle thought to have been involved in the death of 33-year-old Ricardo Nieto.
https://youtu.be/SHs0fhA3x9g
Elizabeth Police Department patrol units responding to a report of shots being fired in the area of Niles and 5th streets at approximately 2:50 a.m. on Sunday, July 16 found Nieto in the driveway of his home suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the investigation. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly thereafter.
In the video footage being released today, the suspect vehicle can be seen traveling in opposite directions on Niles near 5th about two minutes apart a little after 9 p.m. on the night of Saturday, July 15.
The vehicle, a light-colored, two-door car with a sunroof that also may have had out-of-state license plates, is believed to have remained in the neighborhood right up until the time of the shooting nearly six hours later.
This matter remains under active joint investigation by the Union County Homicide Task Force, Elizabeth Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office Identification Unit, and Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit.
Anyone with information about this matter is being urged to contact Homicide Task Force Detective Richard Acosta at 908-347-0404 or Detective Sofia Santos at 908-577-4256.
The Union County Crime Stoppers are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case; tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477), via text message by texting “UCTIP” plus a message to 274637 (CRIMES), or online at www.uctip.org.