Nineteen-year-old Carlos Francisco Rodriguez, a Hispanic male, was found shot on a sidewalk in the 500 block of East Jersey Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on the evening of July 6, 2019. Police officers discovered him with a gunshot wound around 7 p.m. and he was quickly transported to University Hospital in Newark for medical attention. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Rodriguez succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead the following day, July 7, 2019.
The
investigation that followed the fatal shooting led authorities to identify Anthony Reciofigeroa, a man from Jersey City, as the primary suspect. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Union County Homicide Task Force, the Elizabeth Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies. Reciofigeroa was not immediately apprehended, having fled to Vermont after the incident. It was nearly two months after the shooting that he was located and arrested in Vermont, where he was already facing unrelated drug and gun charges. Evidence presented during the investigation showed that Reciofigeroa had driven to Elizabeth in a black Chevy Malibu with Vermont license plates approximately thirty minutes before the shooting. The case against him was built on a combination of witness testimony, video surveillance footage, and physical evidence.
Following a three-week trial, a jury convicted Anthony Reciofigeroa of first-degree murder and two second-degree firearms offenses in June 2022. The conviction was the result of the extensive evidence presented by the prosecution. In October 2022, Reciofigeroa, who was 28 at the time, was sentenced to 55 years in state prison for the murder of Carlos Rodriguez. Under the terms of his sentence, he would be required to serve 85 percent of his term before becoming eligible for parole. However, in a later turn of events, an appellate court ruling in March 2025 determined that Reciofigeroa was improperly identified during his trial. This decision has resulted in the granting of a new trial.
