In the late winter of 2021, a dispute on a Paterson, New Jersey street escalated into a fatal act of violence that would eventually lead to a conviction in court. On the afternoon of March 3, 2021, 35-year-old Jaquan Harrison, a male resident of Paterson, was involved in an argument near the intersection of North 6th and Clinton streets. The confrontation ended when Harrison was shot once in the back at close range. Responding police officers found him wounded inside a nearby building.
He was rushed to St. Joseph's University Medical Center for treatment of the critical gunshot wound.
Harrison fought for his life for four days before succumbing to his injuries on March 7, 2021. For months, his killer remained at large. Law enforcement officials identified Naszhere M. Jones, then 22 years old and from the neighboring town of South Hackensack, as the primary suspect in Harrison's death. A significant manhunt ensued, culminating in Jones's capture on July 2, 2021. He was located in Old Bridge by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, along with members of the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and the Passaic County Sheriff's Department.
Initially, Jones was charged with murder and various weapons and drug offenses. The evidence presented during his trial included surveillance footage that captured parts of the events leading up to and following the shooting, showing Jones fleeing the scene after the altercation. In September 2023, a jury convicted Jones on the lesser charge of reckless manslaughter, as well as second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
