In the late evening hours of Saturday, November 29, 2014, in Linden, New Jersey, the life of a young man was irrevocably altered by an act of violence. Sixteen-year-old Jarod Julien, a Black male from the neighboring town of Roselle, was on Nora Drive when he was shot by an unidentified assailant around 9:30 p.m. The suspect quickly fled the scene in a vehicle, leaving chaos and a life hanging in the balance.
First responders arrived to find the critically injured teenager and rushed him to University Hospital in Newark for emergency surgery. For over a week, Jarod Julien fought for his life, but his injuries proved too severe. On Sunday, December 7, 2014, nine days after the shooting, the 16-year-old succumbed to the gunshot wound and was pronounced dead.
His death was officially classified as a homicide, prompting a joint investigation by the Union County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force and the Linden Police Department.
In the wake of the tragedy, law enforcement officials sought help from the public to identify the person responsible for Jarod's death. The Union County Crime Stoppers offered a reward of up to $5,000 for any information that would lead to an arrest and indictment in the case. Despite the active investigation and the plea for public assistance, no immediate arrests were made. The case drew significant attention as a community mourned the loss of a young life to gun violence. As of the latest available information, the investigation into Jarod Julien's death continues, and the case remains unresolved, with no suspects having been publicly identified or charged.
