Father killed in front of children during carjacking: DA

A 17-year-old New Jersey boy has been arrested on suspicion of killing a father in front of his children while trying to steal his car. The authorities announced this on Tuesday.

Twenty-seven-year-old Yoni Emmanuel Cruz-Rodriguez was standing behind his white Dodge Durango on the night of July 12 when the suspect got into the car and tried to drive away, the county prosecutor’s office said in a news release. When Cruz-Rodriguez tried to climb into the back of his car, the teen shot him several times, authorities said.

The Durango crashed into two parked cars a short distance before the teen got out and fled, the release said. First responders arrived at 10:20 p.m. and found the car upside down, with Cruz-Rodriguez and two children inside. Cruz-Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene, but prosecutors say the children were unharmed.

Prosecutors named the victim Yony in their press release; however, social media and a GoFundMe launched by his brother spelled his name ‘Yoni.’ Cruz-Rodriguez, born in Honduras, leaves behind a three-year-old boy and a two-month-old girl. His family is raising money to return his body to Honduras.

The teen, whose name is being withheld because he is a minor, was arrested Monday “without incident” by a team that included U.S. Marshals. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree carjacking, two counts of second-degree aggravated assault and two counts of third-degree assault endangering the welfare of a child, as well as weapons offenses, public prosecutors said.

He is in juvenile detention pending a court hearing.