By: Richard L. Smith
A dramatic and tragic scene erupted in Newark's South Ward on Clinton Avenue, leading to a large-scale investigation by Newark Police and detectives.
The incident began with a ShotSpotter alert, signaling multiple rounds of gunfire in the area of 348 Clinton Avenue around 1:30 p.m.
Responding officers arrived to find a vehicle ablaze near a gas station.
Inside, they discovered a male victim who had been reportedly shot multiple times. Emergency responders swiftly extracted him from the burning car, and medical personnel immediately attended to him.
Despite their efforts, the victim was pronounced dead at University Hospital around 2 p.m.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that the incident escalated from an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles, culminating in one of the cars crashing and catching fire.
Police are now searching for a grey Hyundai, last observed speeding westbound on Clinton Avenue.
Additionally, a heavyset black male in a hood, believed to be involved in the shooting, was seen fleeing the scene and possibly entering the Hyundai.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office has been informed of the incident and is coming to the scene to take over the investigation.
Today's murder marks the third deadly shooting in under 36 hours in Newark.
As the search for the suspect continues, authorities urge anyone with information to come forward to aid in the investigation of this fatal shooting.