New Jersey Teen Accused Of Murder After Stray Bullet Strikes 9-year-old Girl Playing Outside Her Home, Police Say

A teenager in New Jersey was arrested in connection to the death of a 9-year-old girl who was fatally shot by a stray bullet during what investigators believe was a confrontation over a social media post, police said.

Around 7:30 p.m. on March 25, Sequoya Bacon-Jones was playing with her brother outside her family’s Trenton apartment when a brawl broke out among a group gathered nearby and gunfire erupted, KYW-TV reported.

A stray bullet struck the elementary schoolgirl, killing her.

Five days after the incident, on March 30, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of a suspect in the case at a news conference — Isiah Roberts, 19.

Police said witnesses allegedly spotted Roberts driving away from the scene in an Acura. Officers pulled Roberts over in the same make of vehicle in Hamilton Township the day before the news conference and arrested him after he fled and jumped into the Delaware River, according to officials.

“No idea why he went into the Delaware River. They just found him. Maybe he thought he could swim to Pennsylvania,” Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said.

The alleged gunman faces multiple charges, including murder and aggravated assault, police said.

The prosecutor said investigators believed the deadly incident was sparked by a post on social media involving Roberts’ sister.

“It was a dispute over how one of the women was raising her children, Onofri said. “They were called out on Facebook.”

Anthony Tarkar told KYW-TV his daughter had a “good heart” and was “always smiling, always happy.”

“She loved to play, skate, do everything,” he said. “We love her and we are going to miss her.”