Homicides dropped again in 2018. Here's how many each N.J. county reported

While New Jersey witnessed several horrific killings in 2018, including the murder of an entire family in Colts Neck and the stray bullet death of a Bridgeton child as she slept in her bed, the overall pace of killings decreased in the Garden State for another straight year.

An analysis of unofficial homicide totals provided by every county in the state show murder and manslaughter cases dropped 12 percent from 2017 — from 324 to 285 reported in 2018, not counting vehicular homicides and police shootings.

Fewer killings were reported nationwide in 2018, with preliminary figures showing a 7 percent drop in major cities. The year prior saw little change nationally.

Several factors could help explain the drop in homicides in New Jersey, according to Dr. Maria Haberfeld, professor of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"One is that crime in general is like the economy, it moves up and down in cycles that cannot always be rationally explained," Haberfeld observed. "The shifts can be observed nationally or just in a few states."

Potential factors could include decreases in gang membership in an area, increased law enforcement presence in a community, use of technology such as surveillance cameras to deter street crime, and changing demographics, she said.

Changes in how certain crimes are carried out could also be a factor, she noted, using the example of drug dealing. Haberfeld also noted that police patrols focused on hotspots determined through crime mapping and predictive policing could have an impact.

"What I do know about New Jersey is that definitely various law enforcement agencies engage in more use of technology and also best practices in crime analysis based on risk assessment, crime mapping and predictive policing," Haberfeld said.

Here is a rundown of criminal homicides reported in each county in 2017 and 2018. These figures do not include fatal shootings by law enforcement or vehicular homicides, and asterisks have been used to indicate where such cases have been subtracted from the total.

Heather S. Barbera is charged in the 2018 bludgeoning deaths of her mother and grandmother.

Atlantic County

2018: 15

2017: 21

Atlantic County cases included the bludgeoning deaths of Elaine Rosen and Michelle Gordon in their Ventnor apartment. Heather S. Barbera is charged in the murders of her mother and grandmother.

Eric D. Kaplan is charged with stabbing his mother to death in July 2018.

Bergen County

2018: 4

2017: 5

Bergen County, which previously saw a 50-percent decrease in homicides from 2016 to 2017, saw just four killings in 2018.

Among those cases was the July stabbing death of Ann Kaplan in Fair Lawn. Her son, Eric. D. Kaplan, was charged with her murder.

Kenneth D. Arsenault is charged with murder in the April stabbing death of his wife.

Burlington County

2018: 7

2017: 13

Burlington County saw a 46 percent decrease in criminal homicides between 2017 and 2018.

County Prosecutor Scott Coffina cited hard work by law enforcement in cutting the homicide rate.

"I attribute much of the decrease in Burlington County homicides to diligent police work by our local departments and the detectives in our Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force over the past three years, which focused their efforts on building cases that sent many of the individuals responsible for that violence to prison," Coffina said. "We will remain vigilant in working with our communities and law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of all residents of Burlington County."

Burlington County homicides in 2018 included the April stabbing death of Lorraine Arsenault in Pemberton Township. Her husband was charged with murder after responder officers found him on top of the victim.

Arrests were made in all seven of the 2018 cases.

Camden County

2018: 30*

2017: 33

One of those cases was the March stabbing death of Elaine Jimenez on a Camden street outside her home. Her boyfriend, Raul Quinones, is accused of stabbing the woman 22 times and also wounding her 20-year-old son.

In another case, Miguel Rodriguez-Zavala was shot to death outside of the Camden restaurant he operated. That killing remains unsolved.

*The Camden County Prosecutor's Office also probed one fatal car crash in Camden that was listed as a "vehicular homicide" for records purposes.

Cape May County

2018: 1

2017: 2

In the year's only Cape May County homicide, Destiny Rollar was shot to death in her Lower Township home. The father of her two children, Charles A. Bland, is charged with her murder.

Nine-year-old Bridgeton resident Jennifer Trejo was shot to death as she slept in her bed. Four men are charged in her murder.

Cumberland County

2018: 11

2017: 11*

One of 2018's most shocking crimes was a Bridgeton shooting that killed 9-year-old Jennifer Trejo as she slept in her bed. Four men are charged with murder in that case.

In another case, a man is charged with murder after dismembering and burning the remains of a Vineland woman.

*The total for 2017 doesn't include the death of Walter L. Brown Jr., who was found emaciated and covered in bed sores in May of that year. It wasn't until late 2018 that his mother was charged with murder and then indicted in the handicapped man's death. Prosecutors accuse Cinnamon A. Corley, described as her 24-year-old son's sole caregiver, of failing to provide nourishment and appropriate medical care for the man.

James Ray, charged with murder in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend Angela Bledsoe, appears before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler for a detention hearing in Newark. (Andrew Miller | For NJ Advance Media)

Essex County

2018: 100*

2017: 103*

Essex County, which has regularly claimed the most homicides in the state on an annual basis, saw three fewer slayings last year than in 2017.

Newark, the largest city in the state and the county's seat, saw 70 homicides in 2018, according to police officials.

"These homicide numbers are a result of unprecedented cooperation by law enforcement at the local, county, state and federal levels," acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II said in a statement. "These joint efforts show tangible positive impact in Essex County and we are hopeful they will continue to do the same for the foreseeable future.

"One of the tangible examples is the use of multi-disciplinary task forces which have proven to be a force multiplier," Stephens said. "The results are even more impressive since our office and many other law enforcement agencies in the region have been operating at less than full capacity."

Homicides in the county last year included the high-profile killing of a Montclair woman whose boyfriend was later arrested in Cuba by federal agents. James Ray III, a 55-year-old attorney, has claimed he shot Angela Bledsoe in self-defense after she pointed a gun at him.

*Essex County also had three fatal police shootings in 2018, compared to six in 2017, according to data provided by the state Attorney General's Office.

Megan Pirri holds a wedding photo of her and her husband Joseph Pirri, Monday, March 19, 2018. Joe Pirri, 32, died approximately a week after suffering injuries in a road rage assault in Deptford Township on March 7. (Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com)

Gloucester County

2018: 9*

2017: 7

In Gloucester County, two cases were reported in Monroe Township and two in Paulsboro. Others were reported in Deptford, Pitman, Washington Township, West Deptford and Woodbury.

In the West Deptford case, Joseph Pirri was slashed during a road rage incident and died of his injuries a week later.

In the Deptford incident, Jodeci Robinson was shot in the back following a recording session. The man charged in his killing says he acted in self-defense.

*A 10th person was fatally shot by Deptford Township police during what investigators described as a shoplifting attempt gone wrong.

Lincoln High School student Jade Saunders, 17, was fatally shot on Brinkerhoff Street in Jersey City on Oct. 25. (Facebook photo)

Hudson County

2018: 22

2017: 26

Hudson County homicides included the October shooting death of 17-year-old Jade Saunders. Two men are charged with murder in that case.

Hunterdon County

2018: 1

2017: 0

The only homicide reported in Hunterdon County in 2018 was a murder-suicide in Readington. Salvatore Uvenio killed Kimberly Uvenio before taking his own life in September.

Prior to that case, the county had no criminal homicides the previous four years.

Mercer County

2018: 22*

2017: 27

Mercer County saw a roughly 18 percent decrease in homicides from 2017. Among of the 22 cases logged by investigators last year was the death of Michael Anderson, who died in January 2018 of injuries from a June 2017 shooting.

*The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office also investigated the fatal police shooting of Tahaij Wells, one of the men investigators say engaged in a gun battle at the Art All Night festival in June.

South Carolina residents Olya Quinnam, left and Marcus Wright were arrested in connection with the Dec. 20 murder of John Bertram in Edison.

Middlesex County

2018: 8

2017: 12

While these figures mark a 33 percent decline in the county's homicide rate, County Prosecutor Andrew Carey noted that these rates naturally fluctuate over time.

"While the homicide rate is driven by many factors beyond the control of law enforcement, there have been great efforts by our agencies to address problems our community currently faces," he said in a statement. "Our police officers are very dedicated and work closely with our community partners in our schools, the health care industry (including mental health and addiction treatment), re-entry of prisoners, domestic violence, etc."

Carey noted that he meets with local law enforcement heads on a regular basis to coordinate efforts.

"Much of what our law enforcement officers do has little to do with making arrests, and everything to do with actively serving the community," he said. "Unfortunately, little can be done to prevent random acts of violence."

One of those random acts was the Dec. 20 killing of Edison gas station clerk John Bertram, who was shot to death during a robbery. Two South Carolina residents are charged in that case.

Firefighters battle a multi-alarm fire at the Caneiro home on Willow Brook Road in Colts Neck. (Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Monmouth County

2018: 16

2017: 13

Monmouth County saw a 23 percent increase in criminal homicide cases from 2017.

Four of the 2018 killings, however, occurred in a single incident. Paul Caneiro, of Ocean Township, has been charged with murder in the Nov. 20 killings of his brother Keith Caneiro's family at their estate in Colts Neck.

Lila Lucariello, 33, of Parsippany, was charged with murder, and other related crimes, for the stabbing death of her mother at Lucariello's Parsippany apartment.

Morris County

2018: 1

2017: 2

Morris County saw just one homicide in 2018. Lila Lucariello allegedly stabbed her mother multiple times in Parsippany over Labor Day weekend.

Shakar Barksdale, left, and Sevon Hill were charged in the March 2018 shooting death of Steven Stallworth in Toms River. (Ocean County jail)

Ocean County

2018: 5

2017: 5

Cases in Ocean County included the March shooting death of Steven Stallworth in Toms River. Two men were charged in that case.

Dervy Almonte-Moore, inset, was fatally shot while delivering pizzas in Clifton.

Passaic County

2018: 16

2017: 24

Homicides in Passaic County included the July shooting death of pizza delivery driver Dervy Almonte-Moore in Clifton.

Later that same month, Paterson restaurant owner Rui Zhou was shot to death while making a late-night delivery.

Daryl J. Graves was charged in the beating and stabbing death of his aunt in Penns Grove.

Salem County

2018: 5

2017: 3

Salem County's homicides included three killings in Penns Grove and two in Salem.

In one of those cases, a Penns Grove man was charged with beating his aunt with a frying pan and stabbing her with kitchen knives following an argument.

Three of the Salem County cases remain unsolved.

File photo

Somerset County

2018: 2

2017: 3

Somerset County saw just two homicides last year. Nelson Noe Garcia-Lopez was fatally stabbed in North Plainfield on Aug. 19, allegedly by three men who were later charged in his death.

Roberta Ann Taylor, 82, was found beaten to death in her Franklin Township home the night of Nov. 7. Taylor's 60-year-old son, Dalton Chiscolm Jr., has been charged with her murder.

Sussex County Courthouse

Sussex County

2018: 1

2017: 0

Sussex County saw just one homicide last year, according to the county prosecutor's office. Investigators have said Joseph Salokas was in the midst of an "acute psychiatric event" when he fatally shot his wife, Loretta Salokas, in the couple's Franklin home in June.

Elizabeth Police and the Union County Prosecutor's Office investigate a fatal shooting. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Union County

2018: 9

2017: 18

Union County's total of nine homicides in 2018 wasn't just a 50 percent decrease, but also a 48-year low. The last time the county had fewer than 10 homicides in a year was in 1970, when just eight were recorded.

"The fact that fewer people lost their lives to violence in Union County last year than in any year since 1970 is an extraordinary thing, and certainly welcome news," acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan said in a statement. "And while it is impossible to explain this with certainty, a share of credit must go to the cooperation received from concerned community members, as well as to the efforts of our local police departments, which have tirelessly worked in tandem with our investigative units and federal and state law enforcement partners during recent years to target violent criminals.

"The fact that so many of those individuals are off the streets, in some cases for life, no doubt contributed to the historic low in homicides we experienced in 2018. We are working diligently with our law enforcement partners to continue this trend."

Among the nine slayings in the county last year was the fatal shooting of Michael Welsh, a 34-year-old Plainfield resident killed just a day after the ninth anniversary of a previous shooting he survived.

Warren County

2018: 0

2017: 1

Warren County continues to maintain its reputation as one of the safest places in the state, with no homicides reported in 2018. One was reported in 2017 and one in 2016.

Matt Gray may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty.

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