Third Woman Arrested In Woodbridge Motel Murder

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A third woman has now been named as a suspect and arrested in connection with the Woodbridge motel murder at the Loop Inn Motel in Avenel.

On Friday, police arrested Chelsey Mendoza, 20, of the Bronx, and charged her with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, one count of hindering her own apprehension in the second degree and one count of hindering the apprehension of another in the second degree.

Mendoza is currently in custody in New York City. The male suspect in the case, Martin Martinez Jr., surrendered to authorities last Friday, July 7. The third suspect, another woman, Cynthia Rivera, surrendered to Woodbridge Police today.

All three have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of one man and the critically injuring of another at the Loop Inn Motel. The shooting occurred sometime before 5 a.m. on June 21. The 21-year-old victim, Andrew Torres, of the Bronx was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:36 a.m. The second victim, a 24-year-old man, also from the Bronx, was taken to University Hospital in Newark in critical condition.

Photos: Pictures of Martin Martinez Jr. and Cynthia Rivera released by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. A photo of Chelsey Mendoza was not provided.