An 18-year-old Trenton man has been arrested in connection with the Halloween night stabbing that killed a 17-year-old during a large street disturbance on East Hanover Street, authorities said.
Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey and Trenton Police Director Steve Wilson announced that Jemair Austin was taken into custody Thursday by members of the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force. He was arrested in Trenton without incident.
Austin is charged with first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors said a motion has been filed to detain him pending trial.
The charges stem from a chaotic series of 911 calls that began shortly after 10 p.m. on October 31, when reports of a large disturbance involving juveniles came in from the first block of East Hanover Street.
Callers described multiple fights breaking out at the same time and gave differing accounts of people being stabbed or shot as the situation unfolded.
Trenton patrol officers arrived at approximately 10:01 p.m. to find a large crowd in the street and traffic backed up in every direction.
Authorities said more than 100 people gathered in the roadway and in parked vehicles, creating what appeared on video to be a complete gridlock in the 100 block.
Officers soon located a single victim in the street suffering from a severe stab wound to his throat. The teen was identified as 17-year-old Gussiah McEachern of Trenton. He was rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from the injury.
Investigators from the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department interviewed witnesses, reviewed video from the scene and followed leads in the days and weeks after the killing. That investigation ultimately led to Thursday’s arrest.
Authorities did not disclose a possible motive for the stabbing, and no additional arrests have been announced.
The investigation remains active, and detectives are asking anyone with information to contact Mercer County Homicide Task Force Detective James Rickey at 609-989-6406.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the prosecutor’s website at mercercountyprosecutor.com.
Despite the charges, Austin is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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