16-Year-Old ID'd In Fatal National Night Out Shooting

NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — The 16-year-old, who was fatally shot just a few blocks from North Plainfield's National Night Out event on Tuesday night, has been identified.

Altereek Johnson, 16, of Liberty Street in Plainfield was identified as the fatal victim, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announced.

No arrests have been made as of Friday, yet authorities have figured out a motive for the shooting which is not being released at this time, Robertson said.

Johnson was found on the ground with a gunshot wound in the area of Steiner Avenue following a 911 call around 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 6, Robertson said.

The shooting was reportedly near North Plainfield Police's National Night Out event at the municipal building on Somerset Street. The event is celebrated nationally to allow the community to stand together and promote awareness, safety, and neighborhood unity. It also showcases the vital importance of police-community partnership and citizen involvement.

Johnson was treated by North Plainfield EMS before being sent to a nearby hospital where he later died from his injuries., Robertson said.

The cause of death was a single gun-shot wound to the upper torso, according to an autopsy by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

Detectives from Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit responded to the scene, along with detectives from the North Plainfield Police Department are investigating.

Anyone with information relating to this shooting or who may have witnessed the shooting, is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, or the North Plainfield Police Department at 908-769-2937 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.