ROXBURY TOWNSHIP, NJ (Morris County) -Authorities have announced that Auraceli A. Maldonado, 24, of Irvington, and Jean Omar Rockson, 33, of Orange, have been indicted in connection with the shooting of a man at the Roxbury Motel on Oct. 18, 2023, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said.
Maldonado was arrested on Nov. 2 and has been held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pursuant to the Criminal Justice Reform Act since her arrest last November, Carroll said.
Following an investigation, Rockson was arrested on Feb. 15 outside of his residence and he is currently being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pursuant to the Criminal Justice Reform Act, Carroll said.
Rockson and Maldonaldo were indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree robbery, one count of second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, one count of second-degree aggravated assault, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and one count of third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, Carroll said.
The charges stem from the shooting of a man at the Roxbury Motel on Route 46 in Roxbury Township on Oct. 18, 2023, Carroll said.
At around 8:54 p.m., authorities were notified that a man had been shot at that location. Officers arrived on scene, located a male victim with a gunshot wound to the leg, and provided lifesaving medical aid. The 36-year-old victim was transported to a medical center with severe but not life-threatening injuries, Carroll said.
The suspects then fled the scene immediately after the incident, Carroll said.
A subsequent investigation revealed the victim had planned to meet with an unknown suspect at the motel. On the date of the incident, surveillance video captured a Honda Accord with New York registration arriving to the motel parking lot, and a man and a woman are depicted exiting the vehicle, Carroll said.
It is alleged that Rockson and Maldonaldo met with the victim, and that the woman was armed with an AR-style rifle during the interaction. Both allegedly robbed the victim, who was shot in the leg during a struggle for the firearm, and fled the scene, Carroll said.
It is alleged that Rockson provided Maldonado with the firearm used in the commission of the robbery, Carroll said.
Rockson and Maldonaldo have been scheduled for an Arraignment before the Hon. Ralph E. Amirata, J.S.C. on March 11, Carroll said.
