By: Richard L. Smith
Two 18-year-olds will spend nearly two decades behind bars for their roles in the shooting death of 16-year-old Brandon Romero (pictured) in New Brunswick last year.
According to information released by Middlesex County Prosecutor Linda Estremera and New Brunswick Police Chief Vincent Sabo, Anjel Ponse Paz and Jerry Cuevas-Sanchez were each sentenced to 18 years in state prison on September 28, 2026.
Authorities said the sentences stem from a March 31, 2025, shooting near Rutgers Street and Lee Avenue that claimed the life of a 16-year-old New Brunswick resident.
Police responded to reports of gunfire in the area at approximately 6:35 p.m. and launched an investigation alongside detectives from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit.
Investigators subsequently identified Ponse Paz and Cuevas-Sanchez as being involved in the shooting that resulted in the teenager’s death.
Both defendants were prosecuted as adults following a Family Court hearing that authorized the case to proceed in adult criminal court.
On May 6, 2026, both pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter.
Superior Court Judge Colleen M. Flynn imposed the 18-year prison terms, which are subject to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, requiring both defendants to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before becoming eligible for parole.
The victim’s identity was not provided in the prosecutor’s announcement.