33°
All three were at police headquarters Thursday night awaiting transfer to the Bergen County Jail after borough detectives and investigators from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office took them into custody hours earlier.
Authorities have the gun used -- as well as confessions from all three, law enforcement sources told Daily Voice.
Jose A. Tavares, 27, of Paterson fired five rounds from a .38-caliber handgun, striking the 30-something Players Club bouncer from Bloomfield once in the back as he smoked a cigarette outside the popular nightspot just after 10:30 p.m., Capt. Robert Kaiser told Daily Voice.
Tavares and his companions had been thrown out of the Huyler Street club about a half-hour earlier and returned seeking revenge, Kaiser said.
In a twist, the victim was discharged from Hackensack University Medical Center on Thursday.
He has a shattered shoulder blade and a punctured lung, and the bullet remained lodged against his spine, a close family friend said.
"It's going to be a long slow recovery, but he'll do OK," the friend told Daily Voice after learning of the arrests Thursday night.
Trying to remove the slug would be "too risky right now," considering its location, the friend said. "Time will tell."
Surveillance video captured images of a car registered to 20-year-old Walter Siguencia of Ridgefield Park, who was arrested outside his home at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the captain said.
Siguencia quickly led detectives to Tavares and 25-year-old Wilber Mejia Hernandez of the Bronx -- both of whom work as mechanics at a Little Ferry shop, he said.
Authorities arrested both at the Bergen Turnpike shop around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Kaiser said.
A judge ordered Tavares held on $350,000 bail and the other two on $250,000 each.
All three were charged with attempted murder and two counts each of weapons possession.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hackensack and receive free news updates.
