New Brunswick Men Charged After Body Found In Basement

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Middlesex County prosecutor announced on Saturday that two men have now been charged with murder after a dead man's body was found last week in the basement of an abandoned home in New Brunswick.

The victim’s body was discovered in an abandoned residence on Welton Street on April 5 at approximately 9:59 am. The victim was later identified as Lucas Reyes-Cardona, 36 of New Brunswick; his death was ruled a homicide, caused by blunt force trauma to the head.

Juan Carlos Chavez-Amaya, 36, and Jorge Barrios, 28, both of New Brunswick were arrested Saturday and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of endangering an injured victim in the third degree.

The Welton Street incident was the second homicide in one week for the city of New Brunswick. As Patch reported earlier, 61-year-old man was beaten to death Saturday night, March 30 after an argument broke out on a New Brunswick street corner, the Middlesex County prosecutor said.

Two younger men, in their 20s and 30s, are in custody and charged with his murder. Police say that at approximately 10:15 p.m. Saturday, March 30, on the corner of George and Paterson streets, a verbal argument broke out between the two suspects and the victim, Robert Reilly, 61. It turned into a physical altercation and the two men assaulted the victim, causing serious injury that resulted in his death, police said.

Reilly was taken to a local hospital for serious injuries, but he died at the hospital, said Rutgers police, who helped with the investigation even though nobody involved is affiliated with Rutgers.

Past Patch reporting: Body In New Brunswick Basement Identified; 2nd Murder In A Week