For Immediate Release:
August 4, 2026

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of 33-year-old ALTRAY K. BROWN of Irvington, NJ; 26-year-old LEIBYS A. MERCEDES of Linden, NJ; 24-year-old LYDELL M. MERCEDES of Linden, NJ; and 30-year-old YOLANDA K. MONTGOMERY of Newark, NJ, on charges related to the murders of Brian Dominick Lockett and Ezequiel Aquino. These arrests were the result of an investigation 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.

As previously reported, 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 Rapid Deployment Team, Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Kearny Police Department, and Lyndhurst Police Department, located two adult male victims who both sustained gunshot wounds. First responders rendered aid to both victims, later identified as 28-year-old Brian Dominick Lockett of North Arlington, NJ, and 29-year-old Ezequiel Aquino of Newark, NJ, before transporting them by separate ambulances. Both men were later pronounced deceased at University Hospital in Newark, NJ.

Immediately following the incident, the North Arlington Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, at which time detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Special Investigations Squad responded to the scene and initiated a joint investigation with the North Arlington Police Department.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the shooting took place near the intersection during an altercation between two small groups of people.

During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that ALTRAY K. BROWN, LEIBYS A. MERCEDES, LYDELL M. MERCEDES, and YOLANDA K. MONTGOMERY were involved in the altercation, and LEIBYS A. MERCEDES was identified as the shooter. The investigation also revealed that LEIBYS A. MERCEDES and LYDELL M. MERCEDES fled the scene together in one vehicle, while BROWN and MONTGOMERY fled the scene together in another vehicle. It was also determined that when BROWN and MONTGOMERY fled the scene, they had two children under the age of 5 in their vehicle, and neither child was in a car seat. In addition, BROWN, LEIBYS A. MERCEDES, LYDELL M. MERCEDES, and MONTGOMERY did not report the incident to law enforcement and left both victims injured at the crime scene.

On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, with assistance from the Plainfield Police Department, a court-authorized search warrant was executed at a private residence in Plainfield, NJ. During the execution of the search warrant, both ALTRAY K. BROWN and YOLANDA K. MONTGOMERY were arrested and each charged with two counts of third-degree endangering an injured victim, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1.2a. MONTGOMERY was additionally charged with two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2); and BROWN was additionally charged with two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2).

On Thursday, July 30, 2026, ALTRAY K. BROWN and YOLANDA K. MONTGOMERY had their first appearances in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ, and were ordered released pending further court action.

In addition to the arrests of ALTRAY K. BROWN and YOLANDA K. MONTGOMERY, active arrest warrants were issued for LEIBYS A. MERCEDES and LYDELL M. MERCEDES, who were, at the time, considered fugitives from justice. Both LEIBYS A. MERCEDES and LYDELL M. MERCEDES were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1); one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1); and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1). In addition, LEIBYS A. MERCEDES was charged with one count of second-degree certain persons not to possess firearms, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-7b(1).

On Friday, July 31, 2026, the East Brunswick Police Department conducted a routine motor vehicle stop on a vehicle being operated by LYDELL M. MERCEDES. During the traffic stop, East Brunswick Police Officers conducted a warrant check, located the active arrest warrant for LYDELL M. MERCEDES, and placed him under arrest without incident. LYDELL M. MERCEDES was turned over to detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the North Arlington Police Department. LYDELL M. MERCEDES was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.

On Monday, August 3, 2026, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the North Arlington Police Department located and arrested LEIBYS A. MERCEDES in Newark, NJ. LEIBYS A. MERCEDES was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the North Arlington Police Department for its partnership and assistance in this investigation. Moreover, Prosecutor Musella thanks the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Union County Regional SWAT Team for their assistance. Finally, Prosecutor Musella recognizes and thanks the East Brunswick Police Department, Linden Police Department, and Plainfield Police Department for their assistance with the apprehension of the various defendants.