Four suspects, three men and a 16-year-old boy, have been arrested on murder and other charges in connection with a double homicide in the parking lot of the Meadowlands Racetrack, New Jersey State Police said Monday.
According to investigators, a state trooper was patrolling the sprawling sports complex around 9:30 p.m. the night before when he heard gunshots near the racetrack parking lot area. He saw three men running from the area, get into an Audi SUV and flee the scene, New Jersey State Police said.
A short time later, a report came in that the Audi had been stolen out of Tenafly. The trooper tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver tried to race off on Route 120 north, where he hit a cement divider. Four people, one of them potentially a getaway driver, were seen running off toward the nearby Izod Center on foot.
An employee at American Dream told NBC New York that one of the suspects ran from police into the shopping center and was apprehended by a security guard.
All four were taken into custody a short time later. Detectives recovered a .38 caliber revolver and a handgun from the Audi, officials said.
Meanwhile, State Police found two dead men inside a sedan in the racetrack parking lot, where the initial shots were fired, authorities say. The 22-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 21-year-old driver was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Their names weren't immediately released.
The suspects, Tariq Gathers, 24, Victor Geslicki, 19, Nyshun Morris, 19 and the 16-year-old juvenile all face charges of murder, possession of a weapon and receiving stolen property. Attorney information for them wasn't available.
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State Police say the four suspects may have committed additional crimes in the area and ask anyone with information to call the New Jersey State Police Major Crime North Unit at 609-947-6024.
