In the summer of 2024, the life of a beloved teenager from Bayonne, New Jersey, was cut tragically short just one month before his 18th birthday. John Dominguez, a 17-year-old Hispanic/Latino male known affectionately as "Johnny," was remembered by family and friends as an amazing young man who was well-known and greatly loved by everyone who knew him. In the wake of his death, his brother organized a fundraiser for funeral expenses that saw an outpouring of community support.
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 21, 2024, emergency services were called to an apartment at 124 West Third Street in Bayonne. Shortly before 2:30 p.m., they received a report of an unresponsive male inside. Responders found John and transported him by ambulance to Bayonne Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead just after 3:00 p.m.
An investigation by the Regional Medical Examiner's Office soon brought clarity to the sudden death.
The autopsy determined that John died from a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. With this finding, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit took charge of the case to find the person responsible for the fatal shooting.
The investigation quickly led to an arrest. On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, authorities took a 17-year-old male from Jersey City into custody. He was initially charged as a juvenile with manslaughter, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
The case later progressed from the juvenile justice system. The suspect was publicly identified as Ramel Johnson. In February 2026, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office announced that the case against Johnson, then 19, had been waived to adult criminal court. He faces charges as an adult, including first-degree manslaughter and second-degree weapons offenses. As of February 2026, the case remained under active prosecution.
