DENVILLE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Morris County) — A Georgia man has been charged in connection with a woman found suffering from a gunshot wound along a roadway in Morris County on Christmas Eve, authorities said.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, Denville Police Chief Scott Welsch, Town of Boonton Police Chief Christopher Petonak and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon announced that Jovan Young, 37, last known to be living in Jonesboro, Georgia, has been charged following the incident.
Shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, police found a woman lying in the fetal position on the side of the road near the intersection of Old Boonton Road and Pocono Road in Denville, authorities said. She appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Her condition was not released, and she has not been publicly identified.
Investigators later determined that the woman had been with Young earlier in the day. Authorities said both the victim and Young are from Georgia but have ties to New Jersey.
On Dec. 25, law enforcement officers located Young in Boonton, where he was taken into custody. During the arrest, police recovered a 9mm handgun and multiple magazines loaded with hollow-point ammunition, officials said.
As of Dec. 27, Young was charged with third-degree endangering an injured person, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth-degree possession of hollow-point cartridges and fourth-degree certain persons not to have weapons or ammunition.
Young was transported to the Morris County Correctional Facility pending future court proceedings under the state’s Criminal Justice Reform Act.
The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges are possible, authorities said. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200.
Carroll praised the coordinated efforts of the Denville Police Department, Town of Boonton Police Department, Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Operations Division and Major Crimes Unit.
