By: Richard L. Smith
Mr. Zyion A. Williams-Jones, 21, who has ties to both Phillipsburg and Newark, has been arrested in relation to the fatal shooting of Darryl Craft in Newark on September 2, 2024.
The arrest was announced by Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé.
According to a statement released by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the incident occurred shortly after midnight on September 2, when Newark police responded to reports of gunfire near Bergen Street and Chadwick Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers found Craft suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near 139 Chadwick Avenue.
He was transported to University Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 12:54 a.m.
Following an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, Williams-Jones was apprehended on October 7, 2024, in Phillipsburg without incident.
He faces charges including murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
He is currently being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility, awaiting a hearing in the Essex County Central Judicial Processing (CJP) Court.
Prosecutor Stephens praised the efforts of the Homicide Task Force, stating, “The members of the Homicide Task Force worked non-stop to identify and ultimately apprehend the offender.”
It is important to note that the charges against Williams-Jones are accusations at this stage. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.