New York man convicted in 2025 Nutley ambush shooting
The gunman involved in the shooting has not been identified and authorities said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
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A 66-year-old New York man has been convicted of attempted murder for his role in a 2025 ambush shooting outside a Nutley home that left a teenager critically injured.
Essex County Prosecutor said an Essex County jury convicted Armando Villareal Mena, of Newburgh, New York, on Oct. 23 following a day of deliberations. Mena was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault.
The conviction stems from a July 4, 2025, attack on 19-year-old Jahniel Perez outside his mother's Nutley residence.
Prosecutors proved at trial that Mena and an unidentified co-conspirator drove from Newburgh to the victim's home. Surveillance video captured their vehicle circling the block before pulling up to the house. Mena then smashed a window on the mother's car to lure Perez outside.
When Perez emerged, the co-conspirator opened fire, unleashing 12 shots as Mena drove the vehicle toward the victim. Perez was struck four times before the pair fled the scene. His mother transported him to a local hospital in the damaged vehicle for emergency treatment.
Detectives arrested Mena three days later while he was driving the suspect vehicle in Newburgh. During an interview with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force, Mena admitted driving the vehicle during the attack.
The gunman involved in the shooting has not been identified, and authorities said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Mena was tried before a Superior Court judge, and a sentencing date has not yet been announced.
