A 14-year-old boy is facing murder charges in the death of an on-duty police officer in Newark, New Jersey. Detective Joseph Azcona died from a gunshot wound to the head on March 8, 2025. The details of the attack are both brazen and shocking. Essex County officials addressed the media during a news conference. Azcona was reportedly working with a group of detectives and federal agents investigating illegal weapons when a shootout began on March 7.
According to Emanuel Miranda, Newark’s director of public safety, Azcona never even made it out of his vehicle before a bullet struck him in the head. Police quickly arrested the teenage suspect, who faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and possession of an illegal weapon, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stevens II shared during the news conference.
According to a statement from Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones, obtained by ABC News, the shooting has devastated local police.
“Law enforcement officers leave their loved ones every day and put their lives on the line for the safety and well-being of our communities.” He added, “The egregious acts that took place last night have left a family, a community, and the brotherhood and sisterhood of law enforcement devastated and with a void that can never be filled.”
Azcona’s mother, Martha Vargas, told the New York Post that her son dreamed of a career in law enforcement. “That was my baby. He always said he wanted to be a cop when he was little, and when he grew up, he took the test.”
The grieving mother added that she worried about the dangers of police work, but Azcona assured her he wasn’t in danger.
“It’s crazy. It’s crazy. A young kid,” she told the Post.
“Sometimes you can blame the parents, but sometimes you can’t. You don’t know what they’re doing. You cannot blame them. I don’t blame the parents, believe me,” Vargas added. “You know how kids are when they get with other kids.”
According to the Post, Azcona died at an area hospital a short time later. His partner remains in a hospital recovering from a gunshot wound, as does the 14-year-old suspected assailant. The boy reportedly cannot be charged as an adult in New Jersey because he is under the age of 15.
