New Brunswick man charged in Franklin shooting that missed intended target: prosecutor

A 25-year-old New Brunswick man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing two shots at a parked car on Girard Avenue near Easton Avenue in Franklin last month.

Nate Rowell, 25, also is facing charges of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and endangering another person. The first-degree crime of attempted murder carries a minimum 10-year state prison sentence.

At about 6:45 p.m. Sept. 13, a Franklin resident told police he was driving in the area of Girard and Easton avenues when he heard a loud noise, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald.

The driver thought he had hit debris in the road, but when he got home, he noticed bullet holes in the trunk. Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Franklin police responded to investigate.

The investigation found Rowell was the driver of a vehicle that had left the parking lot of an Easton Avenue business, McDonald said.

Rowell then stopped, opened the driver’s side door, and allegedly fired two gunshots in the direction of an occupied vehicle parked on Girard Avenue near Easton Avenue toward the end of the rush hour, according to the prosecutor.

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But when Rowell fired his gun, he struck an unrelated vehicle which just happened to be driving by at that time, McDonald said.

Officers found two spent shell casings in the vicinity of the alleged shooting.

No injuries were reported.

Rowell was served with a criminal warrant at the Middlesex County Corrections Center where he has been lodged since Sept. 25, on unrelated charges of making terroristic threats of violence in North Brunswick.

Rowell will remain in jail pending a detention hearing.

McDonald thanked the North Brunswick Police Department for its assistance in the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked 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. 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.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Franklin NJ shooting suspect charged with attempted murder