Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Deputy Chief Lawrence Cattano of the Perth Amboy Police Department announced today that detectives are searching for a Franklin Township man who has been charged with fatally shooting a city Perth Amboy resident during an altercation. Jahmmel Chephas, 32, of the Franklin Park section of the township, was charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the fatal shooting of Richard Pryce, 31, of Perth Amboy yesterday. Chephas, who fled after the shooting and remains at large, also was charged with being a certain person not to have a weapon.
The charge was filed in response to an unrelated case involving Chephas. The charges were filed during an investigation by Detective Sandra Rivera of the Perth Amboy Police Department and Detective Jeffrey Temple of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Police were dispatched to the 829 Lounge, a tavern on Amboy Avenue in Perth Amboy, at 1:35 a.m. on Saturday .
The investigation determined that Chephas and the victim had been involved in an altercation at the bar and that the victim was shot multiple times on Amboy Avenue at the Barclay Street intersection. The victim returned to the bar and was taken by an unidentified friend to Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy Division. He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 3:02 a.m. An autopsy by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office showed the victim died from the shooting and that the manner of death was a homicide. Crime Stoppers of Middlesex County Inc. is offering a reward to anyone who wants to anonymously provide information that leads to the arrest of Chephas. Anyone with information may contact Crime Stoppers of Middlesex County Inc. by calling 1-800-939-9600.
Additionally, people with information may contact Crime Stoppers of Middlesex County Inc. at its website, middlesextips.com. Text messages may be sent to 274637 (CRIMES) with the keyword ‘’midtip’’ followed by a message. Those who call will be given instructions on how to collect cash rewards by using a numerical code that will be recognized by a local bank, which will pay the rewards.
The amount of the awards will be decided by the Crime Stoppers of Middlesex County Inc. Board of Directors. The investigation is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is also asked to call Detective Rivera of the Perth Amboy Police Department at (732) 324-3856 or Detective Jeffrey Temple of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3373.