By: Richard L. Smith
A 66-year-old New York man has been convicted of attempted murder and other charges stemming from a 2025 shooting in Nutley that left a 19-year-old man hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.
According to information released by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Armando Villareal Mena, of Newburgh, New York, was found guilty on October 23, 2026, following one day of jury deliberations.
The jury convicted Mena of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting of Jahniel Perez.
Prosecutors said the violence unfolded on July 4, 2025, when Mena and another individual traveled from Newburgh to the Nutley residence of Perez’s mother.
Surveillance footage presented during the trial showed their vehicle repeatedly circling the neighborhood before stopping outside the home.
Authorities said Mena shattered a window of the mother's vehicle in an apparent effort to draw Perez outside.
As the teenager emerged, the second suspect opened fire, discharging 12 rounds while Mena drove toward the victim.
Perez was struck four times by gunfire.
The two individuals then fled the area.
Despite the damage to her vehicle, Perez's mother managed to drive her wounded son to a nearby hospital for emergency medical treatment.
Investigators arrested Mena three days later in Newburgh while he was operating the vehicle connected to the shooting.
Prosecutors said he subsequently acknowledged driving the vehicle during an interview with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force.
Authorities said the individual who fired the shots has not been identified, and the investigation remains ongoing.