Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora announce that based upon an investigation by the Paterson Police Department, in conjunction with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office and the United States Secret Service, Rasheed Thomas, 19, of Paterson, was arrested on September 25, 2021, in connection to the homicide that took place on September 11, 2021, at 485 East 18th Street.
Police said Mr. Thomas is charged with Murder, first degree; Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose, second degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, second degree.
At approximately 2:49 a.m. on Saturday, September 11, 2021, members of the Paterson Police Department were dispatched to the area of 485 East 18th Street in Paterson in response to a report of a shooting.
Upon their arrival, officers located the victim, Elijah Wilson, 20-years-old from Paterson, lying on the corner of East 18th Street and Fulton Street with apparent gunshot wounds.
Mr. Wilson was transported to Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at 5:59 a.m.
The subsequent investigation revealed that Mr. Thomas was responsible for the murder of Mr. Wilson.
Mr. Thomas was arrested on September 25, 2021, at approximately 5:15 p.m. by members of the Paterson Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the United States Secret Service, and the Elmwood Park Police Department, in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. Thomas was captured without incident.
The crime of Murder has a sentencing range from a minimum of 30 years up to life imprisonment; the crimes of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, second degree, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, second degree, both have a sentencing range of 5 to 10 years in prison with 42 months to be served before parole eligibility.