TRENTON, NJ — A 33-year-old Trenton man has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of another city resident earlier this month and was arrested out of state, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.
Bruno J. Laboy Santiago, Jr. faces charges of first-degree murder and a second-degree weapons offense for the unlawful possession of a firearm. He is accused of fatally shooting 25-year-old Wilmer Eliu Vidal Romero following a vehicle collision on the night of March 13.
Key Points
- Bruno Laboy Santiago, Jr. is charged with murder in the March 13 shooting of Wilmer Vidal Romero
- The shooting occurred shortly after a car crash involving both men at Liberty and S. Broad streets
- Laboy Santiago was arrested March 19 in Louisiana and is awaiting extradition to New Jersey
According to investigators, Trenton police responded at approximately 11:23 p.m. to a Shot Spotter activation near Dayton and Grand streets. Officers arrived to find Vidal Romero in the driver’s seat of a Toyota 4Runner suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives with the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department determined that the victim and Laboy Santiago had been involved in a motor vehicle crash minutes earlier at the intersection of Liberty and South Broad streets.
Laboy Santiago was apprehended on March 19 in Louisiana during a traffic stop conducted by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department. He is currently being held at the St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington, pending extradition to New Jersey.
The first-degree murder charge carries a possible sentence of 30 years to life in prison. The second-degree weapons offense carries a sentence of five to ten years.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Mercer County Homicide Task Force.
