On the evening of December 21, 2017, what first looked like a routine crash on the 300 block of Mulberry Street in Trenton turned into a homicide. Brian Ficzko, 40, of Flemington, was found unresponsive in his vehicle after it struck a utility pole and another car. He was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the chest.

The Mercer County Homicide Task Force handled the investigation. Ficzko worked as an HVAC technician and friends and family recalled a softer side, including social media posts featuring his pet kitten; he also had a documented history of legal issues. In February 2018 a 14-year-old male from Trenton was arrested and charged with murder, felony murder, robbery and weapons offenses; because he is a juvenile his name was not released and he was ordered held at the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center. The motive and the events leading up to the shooting have not been disclosed.

If anyone witnessed Brian Ficzko in Trenton on December 21, 2017, or has information about what happened that night, please share what you know.