OAN Staff Abril Elfi 
10:20 AM – Saturday, March 8, 2025

New Jersey detective Joseph Azcona has been fatally shot and an unnamed officer has been injured after a shootout took place with a 14-year-old suspect. 

Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens announced on Saturday that a 14-year old has been charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of illegal weapons following the fatal shootout. 

Around 6:30 p.m., shots started near a White Castle and McDonald’s at the intersection of Carteret Street and Broadway in Newark where the teen was hanging out with friends, according to ABC7 and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. Stephens stated that Azcona was shot before he could escape his police vehicle.

Police did not reveal the circumstances surrounding the shooting and stated the event was still being investigated.

FOX 5 NY stated that both police and the teen suspect were rushed to a local University Hospital, where one was pronounced dead. 

The injured officer is “fighting for their life in critical condition,” according to a Facebook post from the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association. 

“The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office can confirm that two Newark police officers were shot at around 6:37 pm tonight in the area of Broadway and Carteret in Newark,” the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. “Both officers were taken to University Hospital. One of the officers was critically injured. This is an active and ongoing investigation. No further information is available at this time.”

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) wrote in a post to X he has been updated on the incident.

“This is a rapidly developing situation,” he wrote. “Please pray for these officers, their families, and all our men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.”

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin (D-N.J.) said his office is closely monitoring the shooting.

“Our law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect our communities, and tonight is a painful reminder of the depth of the sacrifices they make,” according to a statement posted to X. “Please keep the entire Newark Police Department and the families of our officers in your thoughts as we pray for both officers shot in the line of duty tonight.”

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