Man Fatally Shot Near National Night Out Event In Somerset County

NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — A man was fatally shot just a few blocks from North Plainfield's National Night Out event on Tuesday night.

North Plainfield Police found a 16-year-old Plainfield man with a gunshot wound on the ground, in the area of Steiner Avenue following a 911 call around 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 6, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. 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.

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

The New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to figure out the cause and how the man died. Detectives from Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and detectives from the North Plainfield Police Department are trying to figure out the reason for the shooting.

The shooting is believed to be an isolated incident and the man was the intended target, Robertson said.

Anyone with information or witnesses relating to this shooting are 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.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

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