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Philly Men, Teen Girl Charged In South Jersey Drive-By Shooting

Members of the U.S. Marshals Service captured a Philadelphia man and a teenage girl in connection with a South Jersey shooting last March, while one other suspect remains at large, authorities said.

Antonio Rivera and Billy Peralta.

Antonio Rivera and Billy Peralta.

Photo Credit: Burlington County Prosecutor's Office

Antonio Rivera, 18, and the girl -- whose name is being withheld because she is a minor -- were charged in the March 4 shooting that injured a 23-year-old Pennsylvania man, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Riverside Township Police Chief William T. Eliason said.

Billy Pirela, 22, was also charged in the incident and is considered to be a fugitive, authorities said. 

Rivera, Pirela and the juvenile were driving on Rush Street when a shot came from their vehicle, striking the victim in the back.

The victim was staying with an acquaintance and was shot while walking on Rush Street, authorities said. He was able to make his way back to the house and has since recovered from the shooting. 

The motive remains under investigation.

Rivera was lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly, while the juvenile was taken to the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center.

Pirela has not been apprehended and is considered a fugitive.

All three were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses.

The case is being investigated by detectives from the Riverside Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Palmyra Borough Police Department and the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department. 

The lead investigators are RTPD Detective Kevin Joo and BCPO Detective Jenn Marchese. The defendants will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Hutchinson.

Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113, send an anonymous tip at https://riversidepolicenj.org/tip-411/, or an email to tip@co.burlington.nj.us.

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