Alex Cruz, an 18-year-old from Newark, was fatally shot on the evening of December 22, 2024, after a motor vehicle crash at North Arlington Avenue and New Street in East Orange. Police discovered Cruz inside one of the vehicles with a gunshot wound and he was transported to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. that same evening.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the investigation, which is being treated as a homicide. Authorities have not released a motive, and there have been no public announcements about arrests or identified suspects. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Did anyone in East Orange or Newark see activity near North Arlington Avenue and New Street on the night of December 22 that could help investigators?