For Immediate Release:
July 20, 2026

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announces the following information regarding the fatal shooting that occurred on Ridge Road in North Arlington, NJ.

On Sunday, July 19, 2026, at approximately 8:37 p.m., the North Arlington Police Department received several reports of a shooting incident near the intersection of Ridge Road and Belleville Turnpike, where Ridge Road becomes Kearny Avenue at the border of the two municipalities. Upon arrival, officers from the North Arlington Police Department, who were assisted by nearby agencies including the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Kearny Police Department, and Lyndhurst Police Department, located two adult male victims who both sustained gunshot wounds. First responders, which included members of the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Team, rendered aid to both victims, who were later identified as Brian Dominick Lockett, 28, of North Arlington, NJ, and Ezequiel Aquino, 29, of Newark, NJ. Both men were transported from the scene by separate ambulances, and both men were later pronounced deceased at University Hospital located in Newark, NJ.

Immediately following the incident, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Special Investigations Squad were notified, responded to the scene, and initiated a joint investigation with the North Arlington Police Department. Preliminary investigation has so far revealed that the shooting took place near the intersection and was not directly related to any of the commercial establishments in that area. In addition, detectives have determined that the incident was isolated. It involved an altercation between two small groups of people with no wider threat or ongoing danger to the community.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Jeff Angermeyer, and the North Arlington Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Horton. No other information is available at this time.