Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of 29-year-old JAQUIL M. BROWN of Paterson, NJ and 19-year-old SHAHEEM A. CLARK of Elmwood Park, NJ on charges stemming from an armed robbery and shooting incident. The arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck and the Lodi Police Department under the direction of Chief Donald Scorzetti.
On Sunday, July 21, 2024, at approximately 11:24 pm, officers from the Lodi Police Department and the New Jersey State Police responded to an armed robbery and shooting that began in a parking lot of a business located on Route 17 in Lodi, NJ, and ended on Route 80 in Paterson, NJ. Responding officers discovered that the incident started when a group of friends exited a business on Route 17 in Lodi. After they entered their vehicle in an adjacent parking lot, a male suspect on foot suddenly opened their door, reached across the front passenger compartment and pointed a firearm at the head of one of the occupants. The armed suspect demanded an expensive wristwatch from one of the occupants and struck the victim in the head with the firearm. The armed suspect forcibly removed the watch from the victim’s wrist, returned to the waiting getaway car driven by a second suspect who parked alongside the victims, and together they fled the scene. The victims followed the suspects onto Route 17 and eventually onto Route 80. While on Route 80 in Paterson, the front-passenger of the suspect vehicle leaned out of his car window and fired two gunshots at the victims who were behind them in traffic. One of the gunshots struck the front windshield, causing glass to injure the driver. The victims pulled over on Route 80 West in Paterson, NJ and dialed 9-1-1 while the suspects continued to flee. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad was notified, responded to the scene, and initiated a joint investigation with the Lodi Police Department.
During the investigation, detectives identified the vehicle used by the suspects and subsequently located it on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Paterson, NJ. Detectives developed information that linked JAQUIL M. BROWN to the vehicle in question and identified him as the driver during the robbery. In addition, detectives determined that SHAHEEM A. CLARK was the second suspect in the armed robbery and shooting, and he was seated in the passenger seat of the car that night.
As a result of the investigation, on Thursday, July 25, 2024, JAQUIL M. BROWN was located in Paterson, NJ and arrested by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. BROWN was charged with first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2a(1)/ N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); and third-degree receiving stolen property, N.J.S.A. 2C: 20-7a. BROWN was remanded to the Bergen County Jail and appeared in Bergen County Superior Court on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, where he was detained pending further court action.
On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, detectives learned that SHAHEEM A. CLARK was already in custody at the Hudson County Jail on an unrelated matter. Accordingly, CLARK was charged with first-degree attempted murder, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1A(1)/2C:11-3A(1); first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2a(1)/ N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a(1); second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1); and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1). CLARK remains in the custody of the Hudson County Jail pending resolution of an incomplete and unrelated criminal case that is still underway.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella thanks the Lodi Police Department, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the New Jersey State Police, the Paterson Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance with this investigation.