Police Charge Man In Early Wednesday Morning Shooting In Phillipsburg

Friday, August 1, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

PHILLIPSBURG, NJ.- On Wednesday, a 32-year-old Phillipsburg, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with a shooting that occurred during the early morning hours on Wednesday on Lewis Street in the Town of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

     According to Acting Warren County Prosecutor Jessica L. Cardone, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at around 2:00 a.m., members of the Phillipsburg Police Department responded to a ShotSpotter activation on the 100 Block of Lewis Street in the Town of Phillipsburg.

Police Find That Gunshots Were Fired Into A Home

     Upon arrival, Police Officers learned that a suspect had fired two shots into an occupied home and then fled the scene. Police Officers determined that no one was injured in the shooting. During the initial investigation, Responding Police Officers and Detectives reviewed video surveillance footage of the area and identified the shooter as Matthew R. Dawe, 32, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

     Following the identification of Dawe, Police Officers and Detectives obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant at 108 Lewis Street in the Town of Phillipsburg. During the search, Police Officers and Detectives located and seized a loaded .40 caliber Taurus handgun. Upon the discovery of the handgun and based on the video footage, Dawe was taken into custody.

Police File Charges Against Dawe

     Accordingly, Dawe was formally charged with one count of second-degree Aggravated Assault; second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose. During the arrest procedure, Dawe refused to allow Police Officers to fingerprint him. A subsequent records check of Dawe uncovered that he had been previously convicted of a crime. Additionally, Dawe was charged with second-degree Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons; and a Disorderly Persons Offense Failure To Allow Fingerprinting by Law Enforcement.

     After being processed on the charges, Dawe was remanded to the Warren County Correctional Center pending future court proceedings in Warren County Superior Court in Belvidere, New Jersey. The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion with the court to detain Dawe pending trial, which has been scheduled to be heard on Monday, August 4, 2025.

     If convicted of the charges, Dawe faces up to ten years in New Jersey State Prison, and would face up to an additional five to ten years in prison for the certain persons not to possess weapons offense.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”