3 Men Charged With Murder In New Year's Day Fatal Shooting In Union County

ELIZABETH, NJ — Three Elizabeth men have been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a shooting in Elizabeth in 2023, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel, Elizabeth Police Director Earl Graves, and Elizabeth Police Chief Giacomo Sacca announced Friday.

Jofrandy Diaz-Ramirez, 25, and Albenys Soto-Fernandez, 25, were arrested and charged on Feb. 28, 2023, with first-degree murder and weapons offenses.

A third suspect, Yoel Sanchez, 22, was arrested on May 7, 2024 in Elizabeth by members of the US Marshals Service and charged with first-degree murder and weapons offenses.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2023, Elizabeth Police Officers went to the area of 4th St. in Elizabeth on the report of a shooting.

Officers found the victim, Vladimir Martinez, who suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Cho.

Diaz-Ramirez, Soto-Fernandez and Sanchez were identified in the crime following a thorough and exhaustive investigation by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force, Elizabeth Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, and the Union County Police Ballistics Unit.

All three are in custody; Soto-Fernandez is in Hudson County Jail while Diaz-Ramirez and Sanchez are in Essex County Jail.

Any individuals with additional information should contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Detective Kevin Stanicki at 908-527-4695 or Elizabeth Police Detective Edward Pinkevicz at 908-558-2035.

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