Bergen County Teen Charged In Accidental Shooting

Sunday, July 13, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ.- On Wednesday, following an investigation, a 15-year-old Elmwood Park, New Jersey, teen was taken into custody and charged in connection with obstructing law enforcement and a weapons offense in last Saturday’s shooting in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella and Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno, on Saturday, July 5, 2025, just minutes after 5:00 p.m., members of the Elmwood Park Police Department responded to a report of a shooting on Donor Avenue in the Borough of Elmwood Park.

Upon Arrival, Police Officers Find Teen Shot In The Hand And Leg

     Upon arrival, Police Officers located a 15-year-old victim, having sustained a gunshot wound to the hand and leg. The teen was immediately transported to Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, for treatment and was later released.

     The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded and launched a joint investigation with the Elmwood Park Police Department, with the assistance of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

Detectives Determine Teen Accidentally Shot Himself

     During the preliminary investigation, Detectives were provided with information that the teen was injured in an apparent drive-by shooting on Donor Avenue. During the ensuing investigation and after further questioning of witnesses, including the 15-year-old shooting victim, Detectives concluded that the 15-year-old boy was in possession and playing with a handgun inside a residence on Donor Avenue when he accidentally discharged the gun, striking his hand and leg.

     Accordingly, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Elmwood Park Police Department located the 15-year-old juvenile and placed him into protective custody. Following being taken into custody, the teen was formally charged with juvenile delinquency, with second-degree Providing a False Report to Law Enforcement Authorities; fourth-degree Possession of a Firearm; and fourth-degree Obstructing the Administration of Law.

     The teen was processed on the charges and was released to his parents pending future court proceedings in Bergen County Superior Court Family Law Division in Hackensack, New Jersey.

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