New Jersey man convicted of multiple charges following violent road rage incident

Somerville

By: Najla Alexander

Authorities in Somerset County announced that on September 27, after a week-long trial, a Somerset County jury convicted defendant Gerald Chapman, 41, of Highland Park, of second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm possessing a firearm, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree obstruction.

The state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Michael McLaughlin and Assistant District Attorney Lorina Murphy, with assistance from paralegal Amy Vandergoot, officials said.
According to officials, sentencing is scheduled for November 15, 2024. The defendant then faces up to ten years in prison in New Jersey State Prison.

Officials stated that on May 5, 2023, the defendant was involved in a traffic collision against the victim, John Doe, while both were driving in heavy traffic on Easton Avenue in Franklin Township at the 287 North exit.

Testimony revealed that the defendant drove alongside the victim's car and struck the passenger side mirror of the victim's vehicle with his left hand, leaving his fingerprints, officials say.

According to authorities, the defendant then drove behind the victim's vehicle and around the driver's side.

Once on scene, officers stated that the defendant pulled out a 9mm handgun and fired two shots at the victim, smashing the victim's vehicle into the driver's window and rear driver's door while the victim was outside of his vehicle was located on the passenger side to repair the side mirror.The defendant then fled the scene, officials said, and witness statements also revealed that the defendant had his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter and four-year-old daughter in the car with him at the time of the road rage shooting, officials said.

Finally, testimony revealed that after the shooting, the defendant disposed of his 9mm handgun and removed other evidence of the crime from his vehicle, which officers said could have contributed to his arrest.