Residents inside the Reservoir Housing complex frantically dialed 911 after they heard over a dozen rounds of gunfire rang out near a school in the West Ward late Saturday night.
When the rapid gunfire ended, residents peeked out their windows and observed a horrifying scene where a man was slumped inside the car with his head out the window on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
According to police, shooters targeted the victim inside a vehicle at South 9th Street and 14th Avenue and began to blast multiple rounds at the unidentified man’s car around 11:17 p.m.
When police arrived at the scene, they immediately taped off the area after finding the severely wounded, unconscious and unresponsive male suffering bullet wounds just steps away from the 14th Avenue Elementary school entrance and the old Jimmy Buff's sandwich shop.
Police requested EMS on a rush for the victim while detectives searched the scene for other possible victims. According to authorities, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Offcials say a red Dodge Charger with tinted windows was observed speeding away from the scene and is believed to be connected with the incident.
The violent shooting episode marks the second incident in Newark's West Ward about 2-hours apart. We will update the other shooting in Newark's Vailsburg area later this morning.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office was notified of the shooting and responded to the scene to take over the investigation.
Officials said the incident is the second reported fatal shooting and first homicide in Newark to begin the year. The first fatal shooting occurred around midnight of 2021 where Newark Police killed an alleged gunman in the city's Central Ward.