In the quiet city of Bridgeton, New Jersey, the life of 25-year-old Brian Pineda was cut short on the evening of September 3, 2023. A male of Mexican heritage, Brian was a man who found joy in the simple pleasures of life, like fishing and cooking his catch, and listening to the music of his culture. He was a devoted father to his son and a loving partner to his girlfriend of six years.
Born in Newburgh, New York, he had spent most of his life in Bridgeton, where he was raised and attended public schools. Known for his giving nature, he was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need.
The night he died, police were called to his home on Mount Vernon Street just before 9:30 p.m. for a report of a gunshot victim. Inside, they found Brian suffering from a single gunshot wound. Despite the efforts of the responding officers to provide lifesaving aid until emergency medical technicians arrived, he was pronounced dead a short time later. The initial investigation revealed that the shooting was not a random act of violence, but rather the culmination of a confrontation that had taken place in the roadway outside his home.
For nearly two years, the case remained a somber mystery, a source of unanswered questions for his grieving family and the community. Investigators from the Bridgeton Police Department and the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office continued their work, piecing together the events of that fateful night. Then, in a significant breakthrough, an arrest was made. On August 30, 2025, Terry Stocks, a 29-year-old fellow Bridgeton resident, was taken into custody. The arrest brought a new chapter to the tragic story of Brian Pineda's death, as the legal process against the accused began to unfold.
Terry Stocks was charged with first-degree murder and several second-degree weapons offenses in connection with the shooting. Following his arrest, he was placed in the Cumberland County Jail, with the prosecutor's office filing a motion for pre-trial detention. The charges allege that Stocks was the individual who fired the fatal shot that ended Brian Pineda's life after their confrontation in the street. The community was left to grapple with the senseless violence that had taken a young man from his family, leaving behind a son to grow up without his father.
