FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ (Somerset County) – A Somerset County man has been charged with attempted murder following a road rage incident that occurred in the area of Easton Avenue near the Interstate 287 ramp in Franklin Township earlier this month, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
Gerald S. Chapman, 39, of Somerset was charged with first-degree attempted murder, and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, McDonald said.
On Friday, May 5, at around 4:50 p.m., a Franklin Township resident was driving northbound on Easton Avenue when Chapman’s vehicle attempted to merge in front of the victim’s vehicle, McDonald said.
According to the victim, there was no room for the suspect to merge, at which time Chapman became irate and slapped the passenger side mirror on the victim’s vehicle, McDonald said.
The victim subsequently exited the vehicle to check the mirror for damage. Chapman then allegedly pulled alongside the victim’s vehicle, brandished a firearm, and fired two rounds in the direction of the victim striking the vehicle before fleeing the area, McDonald said.
As a result of an investigation conducted by the Franklin Township Police Department, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Franklin Resident Field Office, detectives were able to identify Chapman as the driver of the vehicle, McDonald said.
Chapman turned himself into Franklin Township police on Friday and was then lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing, McDonald said.
Anyone with information relating to this incident to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. 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.
