A 27-year-old Paterson man died Wednesday afternoon after being shot once in the chest, with officers learning he had already been rushed to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in a private vehicle before they could even reach the reported scene. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, and as of Thursday morning, no arrests or suspects had been announced.
According to Daily Voice, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Officer-in-Charge Patrick Murray said the shooting was reported around 4:58 p.m. near Butler and Sparrow streets. Officers responding to the call learned en route that the victim had already been taken to the hospital by someone in a private car rather than by ambulance, a detail that underscores just how chaotic the scene must have been in those first critical minutes.
A separate account from Wayne, NJ Patch similarly describes police being called around 5 p.m. to that same stretch of Butler and Sparrow streets after reports of a shooting, only to discover the gunshot victim was already en route to care elsewhere. The outlet reports that officials had not announced any arrests or suspects as of Thursday morning, leaving the circumstances of the attack unresolved for now.
Victim Arrived at Hospital Before Police Reached the Scene
Rlsmedia.com reported that police were alerted shortly after 5 p.m. on October 21 after a gunshot victim arrived at St. Joseph's University Medical Center, and that the man had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. That outlet's report also noted that police were investigating a possible shooting scene near 136 Butler Street in Paterson, though the available reporting does not clarify whether that address and the Butler and Sparrow streets location described by other outlets refer to the same spot.
The authorities have not released the victim's identity, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, per rlsmedia.com. No motive or description of a possible shooter has been made public in the time since the attack.
A Second Shooting in Paterson One Week Earlier
This is not the only shooting Paterson has seen in recent days. One week earlier, a 26-year-old man was wounded in a nonfatal shooting in the city, according to the Paterson Times. In that incident, police responded to St. Joseph's Hospital in Wayne at approximately 9:20 p.m. after receiving a report of a man with a nonfatal gunshot wound, and investigators determined he had actually been shot near River and Putnam streets in Paterson, though they could not locate physical evidence of a shooting there. That investigation also remains open, with police asking anyone with information to contact the Paterson Police Shooting Investigation Unit.
Despite this week's violence, city data has pointed to an overall drop in shootings this year. The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General noted that through August 30, total reported crime tracked by the Paterson Police Department was down 16% compared with the same period in 2025. Separately, News 12 New Jersey reported that from June through August, three people were shot in Paterson compared with 11 during the same stretch the previous year, a 73% drop, with shooting incidents falling from 11 to three over that span.
Anyone with information on Wednesday's fatal shooting is asked to contact the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office tipline at 1-877-370-PCPO or the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120.
