Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

                                 25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

 

                                *News Release*         Date: October 5, 2010

 
 

 

 

 


Second suspect sought in New Brunswick stabbing

 

 

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and New Brunswick Police Director Peter Mangarella today announced that police have been searching for a second suspect on a charge of stabbing one of the two teenagers who was attacked in the city nearly two weeks ago.

 

Marcos A. Miranda (DOB 7/15/85) of New Brunswick has been charged with attempted murder following the stabbing of a 17-year-old male who, along with his 14-year-old companion, was attacked on September 25, 2010.

 

Miranda, who also is known as ‘’Marco Miranda,’’ was identified as the second suspect during a continuing investigation by Detective Mark Pappas of the New Brunswick Police Department and Investigator Michael Daniewicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

 

After the attempted murder charge was filed, Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz, sitting in New Brunswick, set bail at $250,000.

 

Miranda remains at large. A detailed description of the suspect is not available, but a photograph of him is being released today.

 

He has not been charged with the murder of Alex Gombas, 14, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township.

 

          Carlos Lara (DOB 8/26/91) of New Brunswick was charged on September 29, 2010 with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the death of the 14 year old.

 

          Lara is being held in lieu of $1.15 million bail at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick.

 

          An intensive investigation by Detective Pappas and Investigator Daniewicz determined that Lara repeatedly stabbed Gombas on September 25, 2010.

 

          An autopsy performed by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office showed Alex Gombas was the victim of a homicide and died as the result of multiple stab wounds.

 

Alex Gombas was a freshman at New Brunswick High School.

 

He was pronounced dead at on September 25, 2010 at 2:24 p.m. at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. The 17-year-old male was treated and released from the hospital on September 26, 2010. The identity of the 17 year old is being withheld.

 

The investigation began when police were dispatched to the corner of Jersey Avenue and Delavan Street in New Brunswick after receiving a 911 call at 3:52 a.m. on September 25, 2010.

 

Hours after the stabbings, Lara was arrested and held by New Brunswick police on an unrelated weapons possession offense. He later was charged with the aggravated assault of Alex Gombas, and the charge was upgraded on September 29, 2010 to murder.

 

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information, or knows the whereabouts of Miranda, is asked to call Detective Pappas of the New Brunswick Police Department at (732) 745-5217, or Investigator Daniewicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4018.

 

As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against Miranda and Lara are merely accusations and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.