A Union County man has been arrested and charged with carjacking and aggravated assault after he allegedly fired more than a dozen shots at a crowd gathered in a park near a high school, authorities said.
Ryan Billups, 20, of Rahway, was arrested at his home after detectives said he and another man wearing a mask pointed a gun at a driver in the 100 block of E. Gibbons Street in Linden early on April 15.
“The men allegedly approached the vehicle, ordered the driver out at gunpoint, and fled with the stolen vehicle,” Linden police said in a statement.
Billups and the accomplice allegedly drove the stolen vehicle hours later to a park near Linden High School, where multiple shots were fired.
Shortly before 9 p.m., more than a dozen rounds were fired toward a crowd gathered in the park in the 1000 block of Summit Terrace, police said.
No injuries were reported in the shooting.
After a month-long investigation, Billups was identified as a suspect in both incidents and arrested at his home on May 28, police said.
Billups is charged with first-degree carjacking, first-degree conspiracy, multiple counts of third- and fourth-degree aggravated assault, and two second-degree weapons offenses.
He remained Thursday morning at the Essex County Jail pending court hearings. Attorney information was not available in jail or court records.
“This was a complex and comprehensive investigation, and I am proud of the officers and detectives whose relentless efforts led to these charges,” Linden Police Chief David Hart said in a statement.
Both incidents remain under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ariel Franjul at 908-474-8538 or at afranjul@lpdnj.org. Detective Dan Hemenway can be reached at 908-474-8532 or at dhemenway@lpdnj.org.