New Jersey

Pa. Police Nab Man Wanted in Shooting of NJ Teen Girl

Police in Pennsylvania arrested a New Jersey man wanted in connection with last month's shooting of a teenage girl as she sat in a car, authorities said Sunday.

Luis Polanco, 25, of Paterson, was riding in a car in Hazleton at about 1 a.m. Saturday when the driver of the vehicle swerved erratically near a seat-belt check-point, police said. Polanco initially gave a fake name to officers who stopped the car, but when that didn't check out, he correctly identified himself.

Polanco is accused of firing a weapon that wounded a 17-year-old Clifton resident in the back. She was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, but further details on her injuries were not disclosed.

The shooting occurred around 2:10 a.m. on May 30 on Park Avenue in Paterson, said police. It's unclear whether the teen or someone else in the car was targeted by the shooter or if the car was moving or parked when the shooting occurred.

Paterson investigators determined that Polanco was the shooter and obtained a warrant for his arrest last week, police said.

The driver of the vehicle in Hazleton, Adelso Hernandez Jr., 24, also gave officers a fake name and was charged with giving false identification, police said. Hernandez also was wanted on an unrelated warrant, police said. 

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