On a Sunday evening in Camden, New Jersey, a dispute escalated into a fatal encounter that ended the life of 32-year-old Joshua Cruz. The Hispanic/Latino male was shot on October 12, 2025, in the 2500 block of Baird Boulevard. Responding to reports of a shooting at approximately 8:53 p.m., Camden County Police Department officers found Cruz at the scene with gunshot wounds.
He was transported to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 9:34 p.m.
The investigation into the shooting pointed to a conflict over a custody dispute. According to court documents, Cruz had arrived and exited a vehicle on Baird Boulevard while Neftalie Sanabria, 40, emerged from a nearby residence. An altercation ensued between the two men. A witness intervened and was attempting to guide Cruz back to the vehicle when Sanabria allegedly fired a weapon, striking Cruz in the torso.
Following the shooting, Sanabria reportedly fled the scene in a vehicle. An investigation conducted by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Unit and the Camden County Police Department identified Sanabria as the suspect. On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, he was taken into custody in Camden by the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. Sanabria has been charged with first-degree murder and several weapons offenses. He was subsequently remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.
