Charges Filed Against Two Individuals in Union City Fire

Charges Filed Against Two Individuals in Union City Fire


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Raymond Worrall

PHONE: (201) 795-6400 Ext. 6737

EMAIL: rworrall@hcpo.org

DATE: Thursday, March 16, 2017

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF UNION CITY FIRE COMPLETED;

CHARGES FILED AGAINST TWO INDIVIDUALS

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez released the following information:

The preliminary investigation into the origin and cause of the Union City fire that resulted in the death of Eddie Gonzalez Jr. has revealed that the origin of the fire was the rear room in Apt. 2L, 1404 Summit Avenue and the cause of the fire was incendiary.

The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Union City Police Department, the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor, the NJ State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor is charging two individuals, Eddie Gonzalez Sr., age 26, of Union City, and Edwin Diaz, age 20, of Union City, with one count of Causing Widespread Damage in violation of N.J.S. 2C:17-2(b), a third-degree crime, and one count of Creating a Risk of Widespread Injury or Damage in violation of N.J.S. 2C:17-2(c), a fourth-degree crime. If convicted of a third-degree crime, the defendants face up to five years in state prison.

Under the current Criminal Justice Reform rules, Summons complaints have been issued for Gonzalez and Diaz and they are scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court on April 6, 2017.

The investigation into the death of one-year-old Eddie Gonzalez Jr. is continuing.

On Saturday, March 4, 2017, at approximately 1 a.m., the Union City Police Department received a 911 call reporting a fire on Summit Avenue in Union City. Police Officers responding to the fire found that it had fully engulfed the building and that all occupants of 1404 Summit Avenue were accounted for except one-year-old Eddie Gonzalez Jr.

Eddie Gonzalez Jr. lived at 1404 Summit Avenue with his parents, Eddie Gonzalez Sr. and Aaliyah Mercado, and a five-month-old sibling. Mercado and the five-month-old sibling escaped the fire unharmed by using the fire escape. The responding police officers located Eddie Gonzalez Sr. at the top of the fire escape. Gonzalez was initially transported to Jersey City Medical Center with burns and heavy smoke inhalation, before being transferred to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

Police Officers made entry into 1404 Summit Avenue but had to exit due to heavy smoke and fire within the apartment building. As the fire fully involved the building at 1404 Summit Avenue, it spread to the north side exposure causing heavy fire damage to 1406 Summit Avenue. Due to high winds, the fire spread to other buildings including Saints Joseph and Michael Church located at 1413 Central Avenue, where it caused significant structural damage.

In total, there were 8 residential buildings and 20 apartments damaged by the fire and more than 80 residents were effected or displaced because of the fire.

After the fire was placed under control at 1404 Summit Avenue, investigators entered the building where they tragically found the body of Eddie Gonzalez Jr. in Apartment 2L in a lifeless condition.

“The investigation into Eddie’s death is far from over,” said Prosecutor Suarez. “Our continuing investigation will now focus on trying to ascertain the events which led to his death.”

The above charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).