SOMERVILLE, NJ (Somerset County) – A Somerset County jury on Sept. 27 convicted Gerald Chapman, 41, of Highland Park, NJ, on multiple charges following a weeklong trial, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
The jury found Chapman guilty of second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree hindering apprehension, authorities said.
Chapman is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 15. He faces up to ten years in New Jersey State Prison, officials said.
The charges stem from a road rage incident on May 5, 2023, when Chapman confronted the victim, John Doe, while both were driving on Easton Avenue in Franklin Township, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Witnesses testified that Chapman struck the victim’s passenger side mirror before pulling out a 9 mm handgun and firing two shots at the victim’s vehicle. At the time of the incident, Chapman had his one-and-a-half-year-old and four-year-old daughters in the car with him, authorities said.
After the shooting, he fled the scene and disposed of the handgun, removing evidence that could have aided in his apprehension, officials said.
