By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Passaic County announced that based upon an investigation by the Clifton Police Department, in conjunction with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Yoniel Santana-Gomez, a 24-year-old male from Clifton, has been charged in connection to the December 11, 2022 homicide, which occurred in the area of Kulick Street and Central Avenue in Clifton.
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes stated that Yoniel Santana-Gomez is charged with Murder, first degree; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, second degree; and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, second degree.
According to PCPO officials, on December 11, 2022, at approximately 3:47 a.m., Ariel Henriquez, a 19-year-old male from the City of Passaic, was brought to Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center with a gunshot wound.
Mr. Henriquez was pronounced deceased a short time later, officials say.
Clifton Police said officers received information that the shooting occurred in the area of Kulick Street and Central Avenue in Clifton; when officers went to the location, they discovered evidence of a crime scene.
The subsequent investigation resulted in the identification of Yoniel Santana-Gomez as the shooter, Passaic County officials stated.
According to Passaic County authorities said that Yoniel Santana-Gomez was arrested in the Dominican Republic and extradited to New Jersey on January 28, without incident.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office will file a motion for pre-trial detention, which will be heard by a Superior Court Judge at a date and time that is to be determined by the Court, Clifton Police say. 
This investigation remains active and ongoing, PCPO officials said. More information will be released when it becomes available.