The Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Capt. Scott Cartmell of the Piscataway Police Department announced today that two Pennsylvania men have been arrested on charges arising from the fatal shooting of another man, whose body was dumped on the side of a township road over the weekend.
Julio Ramos, 21, and Jerry Burk, 20, both of Allentown, Pa., were apprehended on October 3, after the body of Ramos’s stepfather, Damon C. Cruz, 39, also of Allentown, was found alongside Centennial Avenue in Piscataway.
The victim, who had been shot, was discovered by a passerby at 6:30 a.m. on October 3, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 7 a.m.
During an investigation, Detective Daniel Nee of the Piscataway Police Department and Detective Gregory Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office traced the two suspects to Allentown.
Ramos was charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Burk was charged with hindering the investigation by dumping the body and was charged with tampering with evidence for cleaning his car, a 2010 Mazda four-door sedan.
The investigation determined that the three men were returning from a trip to New York when Ramos shot his stepfather in the car while riding on Interstate 287.
The defendants subsequently exited the highway, dumped the body on Centennial Avenue, and continued on their trip to Allentown.
Both men are being held at the Lehigh County Jail and are awaiting extradition to New Jersey. It was not immediately known when they will be returned.
No bail has been set for Ramos. Bail for Burk has been set at $100,000.
The investigation is active and is continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Nee of the Piscataway Police Department at (732) 562-1100, or Detective Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4054.