A tragic December evening unfolded in Irvington, New Jersey, when a father's life was cut short in a violent street robbery. On Monday, December 4, 2017, Marcos Angamarca-Yupa, a 29-year-old male of Ecuadorean descent, was fatally shot in the driveway of his home on Grove Street. The devastating event occurred around 11 p.m. as he, his wife, and their 8-year-old son were returning from a prayer service at Saint Leo's Church.
This outing was part of a cherished December family tradition that ended in heartbreak.
Upon their arrival at home, two armed individuals approached the family as they were parking their car. The assailants brandished their weapons and demanded money from Angamarca-Yupa and his wife. In a moment of terror, their young son attempted to flee, and his mother instinctively ran after him to protect him. It was in this chaotic moment that one of the gunmen fired, striking and killing Marcos Angamarca-Yupa. His brother was called to the scene, only to find him on the ground, with police preventing him from getting close.
Marcos Angamarca-Yupa was described by his godfather as a great husband and father. He had moved to the United States from Ecuador with his family four years prior to the incident and was working in construction. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office stated at the time that the preliminary investigation indicated robbery as the motive for this senseless act of violence. In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement, including the Irvington Police Division and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide-Major Crimes Task Force, launched an investigation into the fatal shooting. However, at the time of the reports in December 2017, no arrests had been made, and no suspects had been publicly identified in connection with the murder. The investigation was described as active and ongoing.
