On the evening of July 19, 2026, a custody exchange in North Arlington, New Jersey, turned deadly. At about 8:37 p.m. near Ridge Road and Belleville Turnpike, an argument involving Brian Dominick Lockett and his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend escalated when a man got out of a separate vehicle and opened fire. Both 28-year-old Lockett of North Arlington and his cousin, 29-year-old Ezequiel Aquino of Newark, were struck, transported to University Hospital in Newark, and pronounced dead.

Investigators identified four people connected to the incident. Authorities named 26-year-old Leibys A. Mercedes of Linden as the alleged shooter and his brother Lydell M. Mercedes, 24, also of Linden, as implicated; both Mercedes brothers were charged with two counts of first-degree murder and weapons offenses. Two others, 33-year-old Altray K. Brown of Irvington and 30-year-old Yolanda K. Montgomery of Newark, were arrested after a July 22 search and charged with endangering an injured victim and child-welfare offenses tied to two young children left in their vehicle without car seats.

Anyone who witnessed the exchange near Ridge Road and Belleville Turnpike that night or has information about the people involved is asked to share what they know.