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Terrence J. Wilson, 26, of Newark was gunned down just before 10 a.m. at 171 Market Street.
Jahid Nelson, 21, also of Newark, was arrested at the Garden State Motor Lodge in Union and charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses.
The brazenness of the shooting shocked many in a city long known for high rates of violent crime, occurring as it did at Broad and Market streets, the busy crossroads located just blocks from the Prudential Center and City Hall where hundreds of pedestrians and drivers can be found on a typical weekday morning.
The area also has its own police substation and is monitored by surveillance cameras.
“I would like to commend the detectives who have been working diligently to identify those allegedly responsible for what appears to be a brazen act of violence in the middle of the day in the busiest business district in the city. Violence anywhere in the city is unacceptable but this event is particularly concerning,’’ said Acting Essex County Prosecutor Stephens.
“I want to applaud the officers of the Newark Police Division working in conjunction with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for their dedicated and effective work to solve this homicide. This shooting was not characteristic of our downtown," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.
Baraka took pains to point out that violent crime in the city has actually dipped recently and that Broad and Market, well-known to many visitors who come to Newark for events at the city's cultural attractions or for work, is not a hotbed of dangerous crime.
"Millions of people pass through Broad and Market Streets on their way to or from work or school safely each year. In addition, hundreds of thousands of patrons of New Jersey Performing Arts Center and Prudential Arena visit our downtown each year without incident. Crimes like this unfortunately fuel a false and outdated narrative of Newark. Homicides are down nearly 20 percent in last two years. Until this shooting, there have been three homicides in the downtown area since 2012.”
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