 Mathew Amaro |
 Tiffany Medina |
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi announce that based upon an investigation by the Paterson Police Department, in conjunction with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, two individuals were arrested in connection to the homicide that took place on June 2, 2024, in the area of Chadwick Street and Weiss Street in Paterson. Mathew Amaro, 27-years-old from Paterson and Tiffany Medina, 26-years-old from Paterson, were arrested on June 10, 2024, in Paterson without incident.
Mathew Amaro is charged with Murder, first degree; Conspiracy to Commit Murder, first degree; Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, first degree; Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, second degree; Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose, second degree; and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, third degree. Tiffany Medina is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder, first degree; and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, third degree.
On June 2, 2024, at approximately 8:57 p.m., officers from the Paterson Police Department were dispatched to the area of Chadwick Street and Weiss Street in response to a report of a shooting. While officers were responding to the scene, they learned the victim, Twahee Howard, a 44- year-old male from Paterson, arrived at Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was subsequently pronounced deceased. During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that Mathew Amaro and Tiffany Medina were involved in the incident.
Both Mathew Amaro and Tiffany Medina will be scheduled to appear at Central Judicial Processing for their First Appearance. The State will file a motion for pretrial detention which will be heard by a Superior Court judge at a date and time to be determined by the court.
The crime of Murder has a sentencing range from a minimum of 30 years up to life imprisonment; the crime of Conspiracy to Commit Murder has a sentencing range between 10 years and 20 years in prison; the crimes of Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose and Unlawful Possession of a Handgun have a sentencing range of 5 to 10 years in prison. Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance has a sentencing range between 3 and 5 years in prison.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120.