Passaic, NJ teens, 17 and 19, accused of shooting that left 1 child, 4 adults hurt

PASSAIC — Two teenagers, one of them legally an adult, have been arrested stemming from a backyard shooting last month that left one young child and four adults hurt.

Ernest Fuentes, 19, from Passaic, and a 17-year old juvenile each have been charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of aggravated assault, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes announced.

Passaic police responded on Nov. 21 at about 1 a.m. to the shooting at a tent in the yard of a home at Lafayette Avenue and Howe Avenue, where a 4-year-old child and four adults ranging in age from 21 to 29 were wounded.

Fuentes and the 17-year-old juvenile were identified as the shooters, Fuentes said, warrants were issued and the younger teen was arrested two days later.

On Saturday, just before 7 p.m., Passaic police tracked down Fuentes in the front passenger seat of a vehicle in the area of Liberty Street and Oak Street.

After a brief chase, both driving and on-foot, Fuentes was taken into custody and charged additionally with fourth-degree resisting arrest.

He also faces five counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child and employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime.

The juvenile has additionally been charged with five counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a firearm by a minor.