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After a six-day trial, Abelardo Garcia-Cruz, of Bridgeton City, also was acquitted on aggravated assault charges, according to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae.
On Aug. 15, 2021, Bridgeton City police were dispatched to the rear of a residence for a shooting. The victim disclosed that he was sitting in his truck around 5 a.m. waiting for his vehicle to warm up on his way to work.
Around that time, a black Ford Expedition approached near the victim’s residence and fired a shot at the victim’s vehicle from the driver’s seat. The victim sustained a graze wound to his right cheek as the bullet passed through the headrest and cracked the windshield. Officers were able to recover a casing and a projectile from the headrest.
Using area surveillance, the suspect vehicle was tracked to a residence on Giles Street.
Additional surveillance revealed that the driver of the Expedition was Garcia-Cruz, the prosecutor said.
The vehicle’s passenger was an unknown and unidentified male. After confirming the Expedition’s registration and vehicle history, it was deduced that Garcia-Cruz was associated to the vehicle.
Officers executed a search warrant at the Giles Street residence and recovered a 9mm Polymer 80 Luger pistol without a serial number from Garcia-Cruz’s closet, Webb-McRae said.
The weapon was fitted with a large capacity magazine. The New Jersey State Police Ballistics Unit were able to confirm that the weapon matched the bullet projectile and casing from the scene.
Garcia-Cruz is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 13, 2023.
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