Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman announce that based upon an investigation by the Passaic Police Department, Olbin Silva, 20, of Passaic, Rafael Medina,19, of Passaic, Randy Lantigua, 19 of Passaic, Joshua Taveras, 20, of Passaic and, Ruddy Mena, 23, of Paterson, have been arrested and charged in relation to a shooting incident that took place last night in the area of Montgomery Street - near Paulison Avenue in Passaic.
Police charged Mr. Silva with Attempted Murder, First Degree; Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Second Degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Second Degree.
Authorities charged Mr. Medina, Mr. Lantigua, and Mr. Taveras with Conspiracy to Commit an Aggravated Assault, Second Degree; Aggravated Assault, Second Degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Second Degree.
Authorities also charged Mr. Mena with Conspiracy to Commit an Aggravated Assault, Second Degree; Aggravated Assault, Second Degree; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Second Degree; and Certain Persons Not to Possess a Firearm, Second Degree.
According to police, on April 11, 2018, at approximately 5:20 pm, members of the Passaic Police Department responded to the area of Montgomery Street and Paulison Avenue in Passaic after hearing multiple shots being fired.
Upon arrival, police located Wellington Figari, a 19-year-old male Passaic resident - who sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound. EMS transported Mr. Figari to the Saint Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson for treatment where doctors expect him to survive.
The sentencing exposure for Mr. Silva on First Degree Attempted Murder is 10-20 years New Jersey State Prison with 85% of those terms to be served before parole pursuant to the No Early Release Act and 5 years parole supervision; on Second Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Handgun is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with a minimum of 42 months before parole eligibility pursuant to the Graves Act; and on Second Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose it is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with 42 months of parole ineligibility pursuant to the Graves Act.
The sentencing exposures for Mr. Medina, Mr. Lantigua and Mr. Taveras on Second Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with 85% of those terms to be served before parole pursuant to the No Early Release Act and 3 years parole supervision; on Second Degree, Aggravated Assault is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with 85% of those terms to be served before parole pursuant to the No Early Release Act and 3 years parole supervision; and on Second Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Handgun is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with a minimum of 42 months before parole eligibility pursuant to the Graves Act.
The sentencing exposure for Mr. Mena on Second Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with 85% of those terms to be served before parole pursuant to the No Early Release Act and 3 years parole supervision; on Second Degree, Aggravated Assault is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with 85% of those terms to be served before parole pursuant to the No Early Release Act and 3 years parole supervision; and on Second Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Handgun is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with a minimum of 42 months before parole eligibility pursuant to the Graves Act; and Second Degree Certain Persons not to Possess a Firearm it is 5-10 years New Jersey State Prison with 5 years of parole ineligibility pursuant to the Graves Act.
The suspects are scheduled to appear at Central Judicial Processing (CJP) Court located at 77 Hamilton Street in Paterson on Friday, April 13, 2018, at 1:30 p.m.
The State intends to file a motion seeking each defendant’s pretrial detention which will be heard by a Superior Court Judge at a later date.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation.
Despite these accusations, these 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 Ceasefire Unit at 973-321-1342.