Wanted Hillsborough Man Arrested In New Year's Day Hotel Shooting

BOUND BROOK, NJ — A three-month drug investigation led to the arrests of a Bound Brook man and also a wanted Hillsborough man in a hotel shooting.

Officers with the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office and Bound Brook Police were investigating Armando Ortiz Jr., 23, of East Second Street in Bound Brook for dealing heroin when they saw him on Feb. 25 at about 7:45 p.m. arrive in the borough with two other people in the car, said Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.

When police went to question Ortiz Jr. they saw him throw something into a snowbank. The item was found to be about 200 wax folds of heroin, with no stamp, said Robertson.

Ortiz, Jr. was arrested and searched when police found32 strips of suboxone on him, said Robertson.

Police then checked out Ortiz Jr.'s car and found Nahshawn M. Thomas, 20, of Windsor Court, Hillsborough sitting in the front passenger seat.

Thomas was known to have an active outstanding attempted murder arrest warrant from Franklin Township, said Robertson.

On Jan. 1 at about 2:31 a.m., a 911 call reported a man with a gunshot wound was outside of a hotel in Franklin Township, said Robertson.

The man, a New Brunswick resident was found outside of the hotel with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

As a result of an investigation conducted by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Franklin Township Police, Thomas was identified as the person responsible for the shooting.

Ortiz Jr. was charged with third-degree possession of CDS (Heroin) with the intent to distribute, and third-degree possession of CDS (Suboxone) with the intent to distribute.

Thomas was charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Ortiz and Thomas were each taken to the Somerset County Jail pending a bail detention hearing.

Anyone with information relating to the shooting is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

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