Last month, a father in New Jersey was shot and killed as he jumped into a moving car to protect his children during an attempted carjacking. This week, a juvenile was arrested in connection with the death.
Yoni Emanuel Cruz-Rodriguez, 27, was shot several times on July 12 when a 17-year-old is said to have tried to steal his car with his two kids inside, according to reports from The Trentonian, NJ 101.5, and FOX 29.
(The Honduran victim was named Yony Emmanuel Cruz-Rodriguez in American news stories, but his brother set up a GoFundMe page that calls him Yoni Emanuel Cruz-Rodriguez, which is also how he is named in some Honduran news stories.)
Sources say that police in Mercer County, New Jersey, caught the 17-year-old on July 29 and charged him with several crimes, including murder.
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Cruz-Rodriguez was found dead inside the car with his two children, who were not hurt, on July 12. Police were called to Trenton because of a report of an overturned car. His family’s GoFundMe said he had a 3-year-old boy and a 2-month-old girl.
Cruz-Rodriguez was shot several times and was declared dead at the scene, according to the police.
Per FOX 29, NJ 101.5, and NBC Philadelphia, police say they heard from witnesses that the father was standing at the back of the car when the suspect allegedly ran into it and tried to drive off.
According to NBC Philadelphia and FOX 29, Cruz-Rodriguez quickly got into the car to protect his children. That’s when the teen is said to have shot him several times.
The teen then reportedly crashed the car into two other cars, flipping it over, and then ran away, according to the news sources.
FOX 29, The Trentonian, and NJ 101.5 all report that cops found the two children inside, strapped into their car seats and not hurt.
In the GoFundMe, the victim’s brother said that the family is raising money to help pay for the cost of bringing his body back to Honduras, where he was born.
As reported by The Trentonian, NJ 105, NBC Philadelphia, the suspect has not been named because he is a juvenile. He is being charged with felony murder, carjacking, and aggravated attack.
The Trentonian and NJ 105 say that he is also being charged with endangering the welfare of a child and weapons crimes.
It wasn’t clear right away if he had entered a plea or hired a lawyer to talk for him.
