Weehawken police were called to a horrific scene early Sunday morning after a father found his 15-year-old son brutally murdered in the family’s newly rented Park Avenue apartment. It was the first murder in the township in almost three years and the first within the confines of a residence in almost six years. Police were called to the apartment building on 50th Street and Park Avenue at 4 a.m. Sunday morning, when Edgar Enrique Nova Sr. found the body of his 15-year-old son, Edgar Nova Jr. lying in a pool of his own blood. The teenager had suffered from multiple stab wounds. According to Hudson County First Assistant Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, the case is still under investigation and no arrests have been made. “The investigation is ongoing and very active,” DeFazio said. “We’re examining various aspects in the case. There are no arrests or warrants, but we’re optimistic to have something very shortly.” According to officials and police reports, the elder Nova returned home after working at his Ridgefield Park fast-food restaurant all weekend. He did not have contact with his son all weekend and apparently didn’t have proper keys to the new apartment, where the father and son had just moved to only two weeks ago. Nova Sr. apparently asked the owner of the apartment for another set of keys, and when he entered the apartment, he found the gruesome scene. Because there didn’t appear to be a struggle and nothing was taken from the apartment, DeFazio believes that the victim could have known his assailant. “We’re not sure at this point, but it could very well be that the boy was acquainted with his killer,” DeFazio said. “We’re not eliminating any possibilities at this point.” Nova Jr. was a native of North Bergen and had attended school there. Until recently, he resided in Passaic before moving with his father to the Park Avenue apartment just two weeks ago. He had not registered for school in Weehawken yet. DeFazio said that the Prosecutor’s Office and Homicide Detectives are examining leads in the Passaic area. “Although the juvenile was not new to the North Hudson area, we have to examine every possible angle in the Passaic area as well,” DeFazio said. “We’re looking at various aspects both here and Passaic. The investigation is nowhere near complete.” The youngster apparently had very little parental supervision because of the father’s hectic work schedule with the restaurant, so he therefore had a lot of freedom to come and go as he pleased. That is causing some concern with the investigation. Weehawken Deputy Police Chief Robert Del Priore expressed his concern over the murder in a township that is basically free of violent crime. “We don’t have murder cases in Weehawken that often, so it is a little shocking when something like this happens,” Del Priore said. “Simply because it doesn’t normally happen, it makes you stop and think. Then, when it’s a teenage boy, it’s even more surprising. We can go years without a homicide and we’ve proven that. It appears to be a very isolated incident.” DeFazio said that his office is also very disturbed when a homicide involves someone so young. “It’s very disturbing when a juvenile is a victim of such a vicious attack like this,” DeFazio said. “We’re marshalling a lot of resources in this case. But it’s definitely getting priority from this office.” DeFazio said that his office was hopeful to have something break in the case very shortly. In the meantime, if anyone has any information in the murder, they should contact the Homicide Squad at 913-1345. All phone calls will remain confidential.
Park Avenue rocked by fatal stabbing of 15-year-old boy
