Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald announced that based upon an investigation by the Paterson Police Department, in conjunction with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Mr. Elisaul Marte, 29, from Paterson, was arrested in relation to the homicide which occurred on November 6, 2017, in Paterson.
According to officials, police charged Marte with Murder, first degree; Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, second degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, second degree.
Police say on November 6, 2017, at approximately 9:43 p.m. police responded to several callers reporting a shooting. Upon their arrival, officers located a male victim slumped over the hood of a car parked on the side of the road.
Police say that the victim was later identified as 28-year-old Mr. Ramon Mosquea, from Paterson. Mosquea had multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was later pronounced deceased.
The investigation revealed that in the moments prior to the shooting Marte confronted the victim in front of several other people and engaged him in a verbal dispute before firing several shots and fleeing the area, according to police.
The investigation also revealed that approximately 8 hours after the shooting, Marte took a flight from JFK Airport in New York to Atlanta where he caught a connecting flight to the Dominican Republic, where he has been a fugitive for almost 19 months, officials say.
While Marte was a fugitive, the Federal Bureau of Investigation provided assistance to Passaic County law enforcement authorities, which was instrumental in locating and eventually apprehending the fugitive, reports say.
Ultimately, on Saturday, June 22, in a joint effort by the FBI, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, Marte was taken into custody by the CBP as he attempted to re-enter the United States on a flight from the Dominican Republic to Atlanta Georgia, police say.
According to reports, agents from the CBP took Marte into custody at the gate in Atlanta without incident. Without the assistance and cooperation of the FBI, the CBP, the Paterson Police, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, Marte would not have been apprehended.
Marte is currently in custody in Georgia and is pending extradition proceedings for his return to New Jersey, which will be held in Georgia at a date and time to be determined by the local court. Once he is extradited to New Jersey, the State will file a motion for pretrial detention that will be heard by a Superior Court Judge.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is 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 Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120.