By: Richard L. Smith
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the brutal murder of a teenage boy who police found shot dead at a location near the border of Newark and Irvington Sunday night.
Preliminary investigation indicated that Irvington Police responded to reports of an unconscious person on Melrose Avenue near 18th Avenue at about 6:59 p.m.
When units arrived at the scene, they found the unidentified boy suffering bullet wounds and he was pronounced dead just before 7:30 p.m.
The teen was identified as Al-Sanir Hall, 15, of Newark.
It is believed that Hall was shot in Newark then dumped from the vehicle in the Irvington Township neighborhood.
Detectives are trying to piece together the circumstances behind a video that surfaced on social media of what appeared to be Hall, who was recorded being stripped of his clothes and then violently attacked by several males inside a car.
The brutal encounter observed on the video, then uploaded on social media showed one other person suffering punches and violent strikes by the attackers.
Officials have not officially corroborated the connection between the murder and the circumstances behind what's on the video as of today.
No time stamp was present on the video to confirm or indicate when the attack occurred.
Sources told RLS Media that the person being attacked on the video is Hall.
Irvington Township Police officials referred all questions to county officials who have taken over the investigation.
Essex County Prosecutor's Office officials have not announced an arrest in the case.