ROXBURY TOWNSHIP, NJ (Morris County) – An Essex County woman has been sentenced for shooting a man at the Roxbury Motel in October 2023 during an armed robbery, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
Auraceli A. Maldonado, 25, of Irvington, was sentenced to an aggregate term of 12 years in New Jersey State Prison on February 21, by the Honorable Ralph E. Amirata, J.S.C., subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA) and the Graves Act, Carroll said.
On January 21, Maldonado pled guilty to one count of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree aggravated assault, Carroll said.
Co-defendant Jean Omar Rockson, 34, of Orange previously entered a guilty plea in connection with the incident and is awaiting sentencing, Carroll said.
On October 18, 2023, at around 8:54 p.m., authorities were notified that a man had been shot at the Roxbury Motel on Route 46. Roxbury Police 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.
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 at the motel parking lot, and a man and a woman are seen exiting the vehicle, Carroll said.
Two individuals – later identified as Auraceli A. Maldonado and Jean Omar Rockson – met with the victim inside a hotel room and robbed him. Maldonado was armed with an assault-style rifle during the interaction, and shot the victim in the leg during a struggle for the firearm. She and Rockson fled the scene after the shooting, Carroll said.
Maldonado was subsequently located and detained in Middleburg, Florida on November 2, 2023. Rockson was later arrested on February 15, 2024, outside of his residence in Orange, Carroll said.
Rockson previously entered a guilty plea to first-degree robbery on October 8, 2024, before the Honorable Ralph E. Amirata, J.S.C. A sentencing date is pending. Rockson is currently on home detention, subject to Pretrial Monitoring Level 3+, and is prohibited from having contact with the victim, Carroll said.
