In the late hours of a Thursday evening in Trenton, New Jersey, the life of 25-year-old Wilmer Eliu Vidal Romero was tragically cut short. On March 13, 2025, at approximately 9:23 p.m., the sound of multiple gunshots pierced the night in the area of Dayton and Grand Streets, prompting a Shot Spotter activation that would lead police to a grim discovery. Officers arriving at the scene found a white Toyota 4Runner stopped in the middle of the 300 block of Dayton Street.
Inside, in the driver's seat, they found Vidal Romero suffering from a severe gunshot wound.
Emergency aid was rendered at the scene by the officers until medical personnel arrived and transported Vidal Romero to Capital Health Regional Medical Center. Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead a short time later. The Mercer County Homicide Task Force, in conjunction with the Trenton Police Department, immediately launched an investigation into the fatal shooting.
The investigation soon revealed a preceding incident that is believed to have led to the shooting. Just minutes before the gunshots were reported, Vidal Romero had been involved in a motor vehicle accident with another man at the intersection of Liberty and South Broad Streets. This altercation is considered a key element in the events that followed.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect, 33-year-old Bruno J. Laboy Santiago, Jr., also a resident of Trenton. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and on March 19, 2025, he was apprehended in Louisiana during a routine traffic stop by a deputy with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Department. Laboy Santiago was taken into custody and is being held at the St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington, awaiting extradition back to New Jersey. He has been charged with first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with the death of Wilmer Eliu Vidal Romero.
