15-year-old girl stabbed a young man to death in Carteret, NJ, police say

CARTERET — A 15-year-old girl fatally stabbed a man she knew at a home on Roosevelt Avenue, Carteret police and Middlesex County officials announced Thursday.

The teen has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Authorities were called to the scene at around 9:50 p.m. on Wednesday. They located 18-year-old Zion Barton, of the Bronx, with a stab wound. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police say the offense does not appear to be a random act, that the juvenile and the victim were acquainted. Because the investigation involves a juvenile, officials would not confirm whether the alleged offender was a resident of the home where the offense occurred, or whether the offender was a resident of Carteret or New Jersey.

Anyone with information related to the ongoing investigation is asked to call Detective Ramos with the Carteret Police Department at 732-541-4181 or Detective Sullivan of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-4060.

Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.