Authorities in Newak are investigating a shooting that left two people injured in the city's South Ward overnight.
Residents in the 20's block of Hunters Street immediately contacted police after hearing what appeared to be large fire crackers exploding on the street followed by commotion from several people at around 12:30 a.m.
Officers with assistance from NJ State police (who were already patrolling the area) rushed to the scene where they located a house struck by multiple rounds of gunfire and evidence that a person may have been injured.
Police canvassed the area in search of victims and evidence when they were alerted by officials from University Hospital that two victims (who were suffering apparent injury from gunfire) had checked into the hospital and arrived by private vehicle.
One of the victim's condition could not immediately be confirmed while the other reportedly suffered injury to the arm.
While violent crime has seen a noticeable decline in the last couple of weeks in the city with stepped up patrols and assistance from the NJ State Police, The Essex County Sheriff's Department, and area College Police Departments, residents on Hunter Street said the open air drug market is probably to blame on this shooting.
"A lot of those guys are not out there any more because police chase them away but you still have a few that linger on Elizabeth Avenue and Sherman Avenue" said a long time male resident of Hunter Street.
"It's been some what calm the last couple of weeks probably because, as I said, police "run down" on those guys so you don't really see them around here anymore" the resident continued.
The investigation is being handled by the Newark Police Department.