East Orange police detectives were driving down Park Avenue shortly before 10:30 p.m. Thursday when they spotted a man lying on the ground with a puncture wound to the left side of his chest. He was rushed to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead just after 11 p.m., and now investigators are searching for whoever stabbed him.
The detectives called for medical help as soon as they found the man, according to NJ.com, which reported the discovery. Authorities have not released the victim's name pending notification of next of kin, and the investigation into what they are calling a stabbing death remains ongoing, per officials. Matt Gray reported the details for NJ.com's Essex County coverage.
University Hospital, where the man was taken, is home to the Eric Muñoz Trauma Center, the only state-designated Level 1 Trauma Center in Northern New Jersey, according to University Hospital. Level 1 centers are equipped for immediate resuscitation and emergency surgery in the most severe trauma cases, including chest puncture wounds like the one the victim suffered. The hospital also runs a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program that connects stabbing and assault survivors with peer mentorship, legal advocacy, and trauma recovery services.
Who Is Leading the Search for a Suspect
Homicide investigations in East Orange are handled jointly by the East Orange Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency unit that pools detectives from East Orange, Newark, Orange, Irvington, and the Essex County Sheriff's Office, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. That structure describes how such investigations may be organized, but it does not establish which agencies were assigned to Thursday's stabbing. No arrests have been announced, and it remains unclear what led to the confrontation on Park Avenue.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Essex County Prosecutor's confidential tips line at 1-877-847-7432 (1-877-TIPS-4EC). The Essex County Sheriff's Crime Stoppers program separately offers cash rewards of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in homicide cases.
A Corridor With a History of Violence
Park Avenue has seen deadly violence before. In July 2024, a triple stabbing on the 100 block of Park Avenue left a 31-year-old mother dead; a Newark man was later arrested and charged in that case. And in October 2022, a 36-year-old man was found with fatal gunshot wounds on the 400 block of Park Avenue and, like Thursday's victim, was taken to University Hospital before he died, per Essex News Daily.
In a comparable 2019 case in neighboring Orange, a 34-year-old woman was fatally stabbed on Main Street. Investigators continue to examine the circumstances of Thursday's stabbing.
The stabbing is under investigation. East Orange and Newark are both mentioned in connection with the case.
For now, the identity of the man who died on Park Avenue remains withheld, and the circumstances that led to his stabbing are still unknown. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office says the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information about what happened near Park Avenue Thursday night is urged to come forward.
