In the early morning hours of a December day, a young life was tragically cut short on the streets of Clifton, New Jersey. Ariel Henriquez, a 19-year-old male from the neighboring city of Passaic, was fatally shot in an incident that would lead investigators on an international manhunt. Just before 4 a.m. on December 12, 2022, Henriquez was brought to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in a private vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead a short time after his arrival.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and the Clifton Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the shooting. Authorities descended upon the area near the corner of Kulick Street and Central Avenue in Clifton, where they discovered evidence of a crime scene.
As they pieced together the events of that fatal morning, a suspect was identified in the shooting death of Ariel Henriquez.
More than two years after the incident, a significant development occurred in the case. Yoniel Santana-Gomez, a 24-year-old man from Clifton, was identified as the alleged shooter. Santana-Gomez was located and arrested in the Dominican Republic. On January 28, 2025, he was extradited back to New Jersey to face justice. He has since been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with the death of Ariel Henriquez. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office has filed a motion for his pre-trial detention as the investigation continues.
