On the evening of Friday, February 26, 2016, a young and ambitious entrepreneur named Jamal Gaines, a 21-year-old male, was fatally shot inside his own sneaker boutique in Rahway, New Jersey. Known to friends and family as 'Mally,' Gaines was the owner of East Coast Boutique on Irving Street, a business he had passionately built from the ground up. The tragic event unfolded at approximately 9:15 p.m.
as he was closing up shop for the night.
Two male suspects entered the store through a rear utility door with their faces obscured. A physical struggle ensued between Gaines and the intruders. During the altercation, one of the men brandished a handgun and shot Gaines. Despite his efforts to defend himself, Gaines succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The assailants fled the store immediately after the shooting, escaping down a rear alley. Surveillance footage captured one of the suspects walking with a noticeable limp as they made their getaway.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Union County Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the homicide. Authorities released surveillance video to the public in the hopes of identifying the two suspects. One suspect was described as wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt with a light-colored patch on the left sleeve, dark pants, and light-colored sneakers. The second suspect was seen wearing a lighter-colored hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and brown or beige shoes. Despite a reward of up to $10,000 being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment, the case has remained unsolved, and no arrests have been publicly announced. The motive for the murder remains a mystery, as reportedly nothing was stolen from the store, leaving a community to mourn a senseless act of violence that cut short a promising young life.
