On the evening of August 13, 2021, 14-year-old Steven Jimenez was shot and killed while on an outdoor patio at the Malcolm Gardens Apartment Complex in North Plainfield, New Jersey. Police responded to a 911 call about 8:06 p.m.; three people had been shot. Steven was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two of his cousins were also struck. Thirty-one-year-old Christian Orellana, who lived with Steven in nearby Plainfield, was transported to a trauma center and later died. A 28-year-old cousin survived but was critically wounded and flown from the scene for emergency surgery. The New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the deaths of Steven Jimenez and Christian Orellana homicides.

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and the North Plainfield Police Department are investigating. No suspects or motive have been publicly identified; Crime Stoppers of Somerset County, Inc. has offered up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to identification and arrest. If anyone has information about the shooting, please come forward.