On a cold Friday evening in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the life of 22-year-old Jonathan Molina was tragically cut short. On February 11, 2022, at approximately 5:24 p.m., the sound of gunfire shattered the evening calm near the NJ Transit train tracks close to New Brunswick Avenue. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Molina suffering from a gunshot wound. He was a male resident of Perth Amboy. Emergency services rushed him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting was a collaborative effort between the Perth Amboy Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. Their work led them to a suspect, 21-year-old Christopher Hernandez Velasquez, also a resident of Perth Amboy.
Just four days after Molina's death, on February 15, 2022, Velasquez was taken into custody.
Following his arrest, Christopher Hernandez Velasquez faced a series of serious charges. These included first-degree murder, possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, and hindering his own apprehension. After his arrest, Velasquez was held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center to await a pre-trial detention hearing. While an arrest has been made, authorities have continued to encourage anyone with information or surveillance footage related to the shooting to come forward to assist in the ongoing investigation.
