Paterson 13-year-old may have been shot dead over bike dispute — report

PATERSON — The 13-year-old boy found shot dead in a backyard may have been involved in a dispute over a bicycle, several sources told the Paterson Press.

Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said the body of the teen was found Sunday afternoon in a yard at 133 Harrison St. An autopsy will determine a manner and cause of death.

The Paterson Press said multiple people, including a man at the boy's apartment complex, city activists and City Council members, were aware of the bike dispute. But that has not been confirmed on the record by publicly named official sources.

Prosecutor's Office spokesman Jason Statuto did not return a request for more information on Tuesday afternoon.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was one of two fatal shooting victims this weekend in this city. Petra Rhoden, 43, of Passaic, was found 10:30 p.m. Friday in the driver’s seat of her vehicle, which had just crashed through a fence and struck a shed. Police said the food-delivery worker had been shot.

Mayor Andre Sayegh in a statement on Monday said that police were dedicated to solving both cases.

The department would "continue to devote special attention and resources to some of the most troubled sections of our city, methodically working to investigate crimes, get guns off the streets, and arrest the perpetrators," Sayegh said. "They continue to partner with federal, state, and county law enforcement agencies to make our neighborhoods safer."

Sayegh asked anyone with information about either case to call the Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 1-877-370-7267 or Paterson police at 973-321-1342.

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

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