At the end of the last week, there were still no suspects found in the shooting death of 47-year old Fidelina Claros.
Claros was killed Monday afternoon inside the G&P Deli on the corner of Ferry Street and Webster Avenue in Jersey City Heights before 1 p.m.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, Claros, the owner of the deli, was shot three times – once in the back and twice in the head – with a semi-automatic pistol. DeFazio was believed to be the victim of a “robbery gone awry.”
Family, friends and customers tried to make sense of what they saw was a senseless murder of a “kind and generous” woman.
They also said she had endured two previous robberies during her five years of ownership of the deli.
They also pointed their anger at Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who lives a few blocks from the Ferry Street establishment, as they gathered in front of the deli to place candles and written notes of love and condolence.Where are the patrols?
“This is the worst mayor we’ve ever had,” said Jerry Uzoka, an exterminator who had fumigated the deli the week before. “I work in this area and there are other people who have gotten robbed around here, and there is like very little police patrolling the area.”
A female customer who did not give her name claimed that after Claros was robbed previously, she told Healy that there should be more police presence in the neighborhood.
“You put this in your paper,” said the customer. “The mayor doesn’t do anything for us.’ All he says is there’s too many guns on the street.”
The victim’s son, Guillermo Herrera, charged that the police have ignored criminal activity in the area because the majority of the residents are Hispanic.
A wake was held for Claros on Thursday at Jorge Rivera Funeral Home in North Bergen with plans for her body to be transported to her home country of El Salvador, according to Herrera.
Last week, Mayor Healy said that he has reached out to the family. He also said he never had a conversation with Ms. Claros about beefing up security in the area, but is now looking into the possibility of expanding CCTV program cameras in the area. 23rd homicide; look out for suspects
DeFazio said at the end of last week that nobody has been charged in the crime, the 23rd homicide in Jersey City so far this year.
DeFazio said no weapons were recovered at the scene. He said there was cash stolen.
Based on descriptions offered by eyewitnesses, DeFazio said there were two men involved in the robbery, the alleged shooter and a getaway driver.
DeFazio said the alleged shooter is a dark-skinned male with short cropped hair, approximately 38 years old, who stands at 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was wearing an all-blue work outfit.
DeFazio said the alleged getaway driver was light-skinned with a mustache, probably Hispanic, wearing a multi-colored flannel shirt and a baseball cap.
DeFazio said the getaway car was described as a “black compact, low to the ground model, perhaps a Nissan Maxima.” He said the car was parked on Ferry Street facing east, between Webster and New York avenues.
As far as surveillance footage of the shooting, DeFazio said the security cameras in the store had no “evidentiary value” but said authorities are looking at city CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras stationed on other blocks. City surveillance cameras
“There may be cameras that picked up the car as it was entering Ferry Street or leaving Ferry Street,” said DeFazio. “From the CCTV tapes, we’ll see if we can spot the motor vehicle.”
DeFazio said the two suspects may not be “from the immediate area, but they may be from Hudson County.” He said that the investigation is ongoing and is being performed by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit with assistance from Jersey City Police, Hoboken and Union City Police, and NJ Transit.
Anyone with information should contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at (201) 915-1345. Her last wishes
According to Claros’ sons, Guillermo and Brian Herrera, Claros had been trying to sell the deli for the past two years.
Guillermo said they will definitely sell the store. She also leaves behind a daughter, Johanna.
Both came to the deli Tuesday afternoon along with a longtime friend, Rosa, where they were met by officers from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit who were visiting the site as part of their ongoing investigation.
Brian went inside with the officers to retrieve papers to facilitate the trip of his late mother’s body to El Salvador.
“I really didn’t want to go in there,” Brian Herrera said. “I almost starting breaking down. But my mom always said that when she died, she wanted to be buried in El Salvador.” Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com