In the early morning hours of Sunday, July 7, 2024, the quiet of an Elizabeth, New Jersey neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. When police arrived at the 400 block of Westminster Avenue, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the men was 47-year-old Jose Aranzamendi, a male resident of Elizabeth. Both he and the other victim, a 51-year-old man, were rushed to a local hospital for medical attention.
Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Jose Aranzamendi succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The second victim was treated for his wounds and survived. For months, a joint investigation involving the Union County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force, the Elizabeth Police Department, and the Union County Sheriff's Department diligently worked to piece together the events of that tragic morning and identify those responsible for Mr. Aranzamendi's death.
The investigation led authorities to two suspects.
In late March of 2025, Stevens Charles-Pierre, a 27-year-old from Linden, New Jersey, was arrested. A day later, a second suspect, 20-year-old Brunel Thimotee of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was apprehended in Norfolk, Virginia, by U.S. Marshals. Both men are now facing a series of serious charges, including first-degree murder, conspiracy, second-degree aggravated assault, and several weapons-related offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of Jose Aranzamendi. Charles-Pierre is being held in the Essex County Jail, while Thimotee awaits extradition back to New Jersey to face the charges against him.
