In the early hours of June 12, 2014, what began as a night out ended in the tragic death of 39-year-old Jeff Mansilla, a resident of Hackensack, New Jersey. Mansilla, the owner of a limousine company, was driving his 2013 black GMC Yukon on Route 80 in Saddle Brook at approximately 2:10 a.m. when he was fatally wounded.
Earlier that evening, Mansilla, along with a male and female passenger, had been at a club in Belleville.
It was there that a dispute occurred with two other individuals, identified as 25-year-old Mujahideen Abdullah and 28-year-old Jomaris Gonzalez, both from Newark. Following the altercation, as Mansilla drove his clients, Abdullah and Gonzalez followed his vehicle onto Interstate 80.
While traveling eastbound, Abdullah allegedly pulled his silver Infiniti alongside Mansilla's vehicle. He then reportedly fired several shots from a semi-automatic weapon through the open passenger side window of his car, striking Mansilla in the hip. Despite his grave injury, Mansilla managed to pull his Yukon over to the shoulder of the highway. There, he switched seats with his male passenger, who then drove him to Hackensack University Medical Center. Despite their efforts, Jeff Mansilla was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.
A six-week investigation by the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office culminated in the arrests of Abdullah and Gonzalez on July 17, 2014. A search warrant was executed at their Newark residence, leading to their apprehension. Abdullah was charged with murder, as well as weapons and drug offenses. Gonzalez faced charges of hindering apprehension and various drug-related offenses. The motive for the shooting was attributed to the earlier dispute at the Belleville club.
