Authorities announced that a teenager from Rahway has been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred on May 30 in Elizabeth.
Bryan Calderon, 19, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun in connection with the death of 23-year-old Franklin Mendez, of Elizabeth.
Early on Saturday, May 30, 2026, Elizabeth police officers responded to Caldwell Place after reports of a shooting, according to a statement from Union County Prosecutor William Daniel, Police Chief Giacomo Sacca, and Police Director Earl Graves.
Upon their arrival, the police located Mendez, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Caldwell Place is a one-block road located in the heart of downtown Elizabeth,steps away from the Union County Courthouse, intersecting with Broad Street on one end and Elizabethtown Plaza on the other.
The area is steeped in American Revolutionary history. It runs alongside the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth and the Caldwell Parsonage, honoring the legacy of the “Fighting Parson” Rev. James Caldwell and his wife Hannah, who were central figures in the Battle of Connecticut Farms.
On June 2, 2026, Calderon was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Garden City, GA, and booked into the Chatham County Detention Center, awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
The investigation is still underway. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to the Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Detective Scott Chertoff at (908)358-9162, Sgt. Nicholas Falcicchio at (908) 721-8186, or Elizabeth Police Officer Brian Stagnich at (908) 558-2032.
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