Two found shot near bullet-riddled car in Plainfield

PLAINFIELD — A man is dead and a woman seriously injured following a shooting early Sunday morning.

Police responded after detecting shots fired via the ShotSpotter program in the area of New and West 5th streets around 1 a.m., the Union County Prosecutor's Office said. The pair were found at the scene by responding officers.

Michael Welsh, 25, of Plainfield was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was pronounced dead approximately one hour later. The woman, a 25-year-old Scotch Plains resident, was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the prosecutor's office.

Pictures posted by RLS Metro Breaking News show an unoccupied white car that was damaged by bullets. The prosecutor's office did not disclose a motive for the shooting.

NJ.com reported that the shooting came the day after the nine-year anniversary of the June 2009 shooting of Welsh and two other men that sent him to a hospital in critical condition with six gunshot wounds.

Union County CrimeStoppers offered a $10,000 reward information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case. Tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477).

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ