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Elizabeth, N.J. vigil shooting leaves 1 dead, 4 hurt, UCPO says
Union County prosecutors confirm 5 people were shot—1 killed and 4 hospitalized—at a Monday night vigil at Elmwood Pl. and Irvington Ave. in Elizabeth, N.J.
ELIZABETH, N.J. — Five people were shot — leaving one victim dead and four others hospitalized — when gunfire erupted during a candlelight vigil at Elmwood Place and Irvington Avenue in Elizabeth, N.J., Union County, on Monday night, Oct. 26, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel’s office confirmed Tuesday in an official release.
According to Union County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Lauren Farinas, Elizabeth Police Department officers responded at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday to the intersection of Elmwood Place and Irvington Avenue after receiving reports of a shooting during a candlelight vigil. Officers located five gunshot victims, one of whom was pronounced deceased, while the four surviving victims are being treated for their injuries at a local hospital. No arrests had been announced as of Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 27, and Farinas told Jersey Intel that no additional information will be released at this time.
Image: Jersey Intel infographic. Photos: Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, City of Elizabeth; Elizabeth City Hall, Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Official confirmation: In an Oct. 27 press release, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Elizabeth police responded around 9:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 to Elmwood Place and Irvington Avenue for a shooting during a candlelight vigil and located five victims — one pronounced dead and four hospitalized.
- Crime scene & witness accounts: Witnesses and initial broadcast reports described more than 20 orange evidence markers across a multi-block crime scene, a red sedan fleeing westbound on Morris Avenue, and a red sedan found burning on Hobson Street in Newark about an hour later.
- What’s next: The Union County Homicide Task Force is leading the active investigation and offering up to $10,000 through Union County Crime Stoppers. The Elizabeth City Council meets tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 50 Winfield Scott Plaza.
What the Union County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Tuesday
In response to written questions from Jersey Intel on Tuesday morning, Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Lauren Farinas provided a written statement from Prosecutor William A. Daniel, First Assistant Prosecutor James O. Tansey, and Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Michele Buckley titled “Elizabeth Mass Shooting Under Investigation,” adding that “no additional information will be released at this time.”
Confirmed victim count and hospital treatment
“At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Monday, October 26th the Elizabeth Police Department responded to the intersection of Elmwood Place and Irvington Avenue, in response to a report of a shooting that took place during a candle light vigil,” the Prosecutor’s Office release states. “Upon their arrival, they located five victims, one of whom was subsequently pronounced deceased. The four other victims are being treated for their injuries at a local hospital.”
Earlier overnight reports from WABC-TV and RLS Media indicated that emergency medical crews rushed wounded victims to University Hospital in Newark, including one victim struck in the chest and others wounded in the arms and legs.
Multi-block evidence markers and burning red sedan in Newark
Investigators cordoned off several blocks along Irvington Avenue near Elmwood and Oakwood places late Monday night as crime scene detectives documented shell casings. Witnesses told WABC-TV they saw “upwards of 20” orange evidence cones marking casings across the street and sidewalk.
According to officials cited by WABC-TV and preliminary dispatch reports, a red sedan was seen speeding westbound on Morris Avenue immediately after the shooting, and roughly an hour later firefighters and police in neighboring Newark responded to Hobson Street, where a red sedan was found engulfed in flames. The Prosecutor’s Office did not comment Tuesday on the burned vehicle or the number of recovered shell casings, citing the active and ongoing investigation.
City of Elizabeth Public Information Officer Ruby Contreras responded to Jersey Intel’s written questions Tuesday morning regarding dispatch timing, police presence at the vigil, and tonight’s City Council session by referring all inquiries to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
Union County Homicide Task Force investigation and 2026 Elizabeth shootings
Under New Jersey Attorney General directives and county protocol, fatal shootings in Elizabeth are investigated jointly by the Elizabeth Police Department — led by Police Director Earl J. Graves and Police Chief Giacomo Sacca — and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force, with forensic support from the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit.
Prior 2026 fatal shooting cases in Elizabeth
Monday night’s candlelight vigil shooting follows a series of fatal gunfire investigations in New Jersey’s fourth-largest city handled by Prosecutor Daniel’s Homicide Task Force earlier in 2026:
- May 30, 2026 — Caldwell Place homicide: Elizabeth police responded in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 30 to reports of gunfire on Caldwell Place and found 23-year-old Elizabeth resident Franklin Mendez suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Following a joint investigation with the U.S. Marshals Service, authorities announced on June 5, 2026 that 19-year-old Bryan Calderon of Rahway was arrested in Garden City, Georgia, and charged with first-degree murder and weapons offenses.
- June 5, 2026 — Florida Street fatal shooting: Less than a week later, at approximately 10:15 p.m. on Friday, June 5, Elizabeth officers responded to a residence on Florida Street and found a 15-year-old boy fatally shot. On June 11, 2026, Prosecutor Daniel, Director Graves, and Chief Sacca announced that a 17-year-old Elizabeth juvenile had been taken into custody and charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter and weapons offenses.
Elizabeth City Council meets tonight at 50 Winfield Scott Plaza
The shooting comes less than 24 hours before the Elizabeth City Council’s scheduled regular meeting tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers on the third floor of Elizabeth City Hall, 50 Winfield Scott Plaza.
Tonight’s council session — where residents can address Mayor J. Christian Bollwage’s administration and the nine-member City Council during the public comment period — also includes final consideration of municipal finance and redevelopment items, including Ordinance 6330, a proposed 30-year tax exemption for CenterPoint Butler Urban Renewal LLC following the council’s Oct. 13 approval of Ordinance 6311. Under Elizabeth’s $348 million municipal budget, public safety operations and police patrols across the city’s six wards are funded primarily through the municipal purpose tax levy.
How public safety and municipal budgets affect Union County residents
Union County homeowners and residents tracking how municipal public safety spending, tax abatements, and local budgets affect neighborhood property taxes and home values can run a free assessment check on GardenState.ai using the NJ Property Tax Calculator or look up local property data with the Free NJ Home Value & CMA Tool.
Anyone with information about Monday night’s shooting is urged to contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Detective William Hannon at (908) 578-8482, Sergeant Nicholas Veltre at (908) 347-7330, or Elizabeth Police Department Detective Daniel Mooney at (908) 558-2036. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by phone at (908) 654-TIPS (8477) or online at uctip.org, where tips resulting in an indictment and conviction are eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 through Union County Crime Stoppers.
Tip: Have public records, dispatch logs, or community updates from Elizabeth or Union County? Email jerseyintel@gmail.com.
Jersey Intel asks: Should Elizabeth leaders address neighborhood gun-violence prevention and patrol deployment at tonight’s 7:30 p.m. City Council meeting? Share your perspective in the comments.
