Teen Charged Over South Jersey Drive-By Attempt

A 16-year-old Willingboro boy was charged with attempted murder after investigators said he fired multiple shots from a moving vehicle at a family member’s home in Burlington County on July 25. The shooting happened on Garland Lane in the Garfield Park section of Willingboro Township, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors said the intended target was standing in the front yard when the shots were fired. No injuries were reported, but the teen remains in custody at a juvenile detention center pending a court hearing in Mount Holly. ### Where did prosecutors say the shooting happened? Garland Lane in the Garfield Park section of Willingboro Township was identified by prosecutors as the scene of the shooting. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said police began investigating after receiving a report that multiple shots had been fired from a moving car at a family member in the front yard of the home. (nbcphiladelphia.com) NBC10 Philadelphia, citing the prosecutor’s office, reported that the shooting took place on July 25, 2026. The same report said the alleged gunfire was directed at a person outside the residence, not at random passersby. ### What charges was the teen facing? (nbcphiladelphia.com) First-degree attempted murder was the lead charge announced by prosecutors. NBC10 Philadelphia reported that the teen also faced additional charges, though the prosecutor’s office summary available in search results centered on the attempted murder allegation and the gun-related accusations tied to the shooting. (nbcphiladelphia.com) The 16-year-old’s identity has not been released because he is a juvenile, prosecutors said. New Jersey courts generally withhold the names of minors charged in juvenile matters unless a case is waived into adult court or another exception applies; in this case, public reports identified him only by age and hometown. (nbcphiladelphia.com) ### How did investigators say they found him? July 31 was the date prosecutors gave for the arrest. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said officers executed a search warrant and found a firearm and ammunition before taking the teen into custody. (nbcphiladelphia.com) NJ.com and other local outlets matched that timeline, reporting that the teen was arrested six days after the shooting and then lodged in juvenile detention. Those reports attributed the details to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. ### Was anyone hurt in the shooting? (nbcphiladelphia.com) No one was injured, according to prosecutors. NBC10 Philadelphia reported that despite the attempted murder charge, authorities said the gunfire did not strike the intended target or anyone else at the home. Courier-Post also reported that the case involved shots fired at a home in July and that the teen was later charged with attempted murder. (nj.com) That account aligned with the prosecutor’s description of a residential shooting in Willingboro. ### Why was the case handled in juvenile court? (nbcphiladelphia.com) Mount Holly was named by prosecutors as the location of the teen’s upcoming court hearing. Because the defendant is 16, the case is proceeding in the juvenile system for now, and public reporting has not shown that prosecutors have sought to identify him publicly. (courierpostonline.com) The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said the teen remains in custody at a juvenile detention center while the case moves toward that hearing. Court records available through New Jersey’s public portals can show future case milestones if the matter becomes publicly accessible in a form permitted under juvenile court rules. (nbcphiladelphia.com) ### What comes next in the case? A scheduled court hearing in Mount Holly is the next public milestone identified by prosecutors. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said the teen will remain in juvenile detention until that proceeding. Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. (nbcphiladelphia.com) Bradshaw’s office has not publicly released additional details about motive in the reports reviewed. Further information is likely to come through court proceedings in Mount Holly or additional statements from the prosecutor’s office and Willingboro police.