In the warm evening of July 19, 2026, a dispute in North Arlington, New Jersey, escalated into a tragedy that claimed the life of 29-year-old Ezequiel Aquino of Newark. Aquino, along with his 28-year-old cousin, Brian Dominick Lockett of North Arlington, was fatally shot around 8:37 p.m. near the intersection of Ridge Road and Belleville Turnpike. The incident unfolded during what was reported to be a child custody exchange. An argument broke out between Lockett and his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. During the confrontation, another man emerged from a separate vehicle and opened fire, striking both Aquino and Lockett. Emergency services arrived to find both men with gunshot wounds. They were rushed to University Hospital in Newark, where both were pronounced dead.
The investigation that followed the double homicide led to the identification of four suspects. Authorities identified Leibys A. Mercedes, 26, of Linden, as the alleged shooter. He, along with his brother Lydell M.
Mercedes, 24, also of Linden, would later face murder charges. Two other individuals, Altray K. Brown, 33, of Irvington, and Yolanda K. Montgomery, 30, of Newark, were also implicated in the events of that night. Investigators determined that following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene in two separate vehicles without rendering aid or alerting law enforcement. It was also revealed that Brown and Montgomery had two young children, under the age of five and not in car seats, in their vehicle as they left.
The arrests of the suspects occurred in the weeks following the shooting. On July 22, 2026, a court-authorized search warrant was executed in Plainfield, leading to the arrests of Altray K. Brown and Yolanda K. Montgomery. Brown was charged with two counts of endangering an injured victim and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, while Montgomery faced charges of endangering an injured victim and two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Lydell M. Mercedes was apprehended on July 31 during a traffic stop in East Brunswick after an active arrest warrant was discovered. The alleged shooter, Leibys A. Mercedes, was arrested in Newark on August 3. Both Mercedes brothers were charged with two counts of first-degree murder and weapons-related offenses, with Leibys A. Mercedes facing an additional charge for certain persons not to possess firearms. This case, stemming from a domestic dispute, resulted in the tragic deaths of two cousins and led to a swift investigation culminating in the arrest of four individuals on serious charges.
