Kiandra Josephs had just stepped inside her Morristown apartment around 1 am on Wednesday, after a visit to the 7 Eleven, when she heard “what sounded like a car exhaust going off.”
When it went off seven times, she ran outside. A 20-something man she knew as “Puff” was lying motionless on Clyde Potts Drive, in an area strewn with broken glass where a group of young people had congregated only moments before.
Someone sped off in a white Land Rover, Josephs said.
Authorities combed the Manahan Village public housing development into mid-morning. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office to that point had not released any information. Sources confirmed it’s a homicide investigation.
It’s the second time in less than a week that the Prosecutor’s Office, Sheriff’s officers and Morristown police have descended on the public housing neighborhood.
A man with ties there turned himself in on Tuesday; Edwin Urbina, 27, is accused of fatally beating his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son in a Route 10 hotel on Aug. 13, 2021. It’s unclear whether the two crimes are connected in any way.
Keith Kinard, executive director of the Morristown Housing Authority (MHA), which manages Manahan Village, said records suggest Urbina has not resided there since 2012.
Regarding the shooting, Kinard said “two people who knew one another got into a fatal altercation on our site.” But he said he did not know the identities of the shooter or the victim.
Josephs described Wednesday’s victim as “harmless, a joking guy” whose jokes sometimes went too far.
‘IT’S GETTING SCARIER NOW’
Residents of Manahan Village said they have grown increasingly concerned about outsiders gathering on Clyde Potts Drive late at night.
“I heard shots. I thought it was fireworks. I went back to sleep,” said a mother of two teens who has lived there since 2009.
Over the last four years, said the woman, who asked her name be withheld, there has been an influx of young people bringing their friends into the neighborhood.
“It’s getting scarier now,” she said. She keeps her kids home at night. “We’re pretty much stuck in the house.”
Another woman, a 22-year resident who declined to give her name, said she used to feel secure, watching children play in the neighborhood. Now, “I’m in my house at 7 o’clock. I close my door, and close my curtains,” she said.
A 10-year resident, who asked her name be withheld, said she felt safer a couple of years ago.
“People have been coming from the outside. There’s a lot of drinking and smoking, lots of cars. They don’t let you go by. They don’t respect parking spaces,” the woman said. Police often are present, she said, “but they don’t do anything” about the loitering.
Morristown Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran Jr. did not respond to requests for comment.
Kinard, the MHA Executive Director, asserted the housing authority “does not have a crime problem as determined by any reasonable measurement.
“Instead, our biggest issue is loitering and the negative perception associated with it,” he said. “However, like a homeless person sleeping on a park bench, in the library or at the train station; the issue of loitering is a tricky one that involves both the language of the law and actual police enforcement. Neither of which the MHA controls.”
In 2016, before Kinard was hired, Manahan Village residents complained to the town council about nighttime problems with unruly youths at the Cauldwell Playground.
The police chief at the time, Pete Demnitz, expressed exasperation. “Where should I tell them to go?” he asked.
Surveillance cameras have been added throughout the neighborhood. But budget constraints make it “impractical” to monitor them in real time, Kinard said.
More vigorous police enforcement of loitering was a 2019 campaign issue for Second Ward Councilwoman Tawanna Cotten, a resident of Manahan Village.
Cotten said Wednesday she was unaware of any recent complaints about loitering. She may call a neighborhood meeting, she said, to remind neighbors that “you can call police anonymously” to report trespassing and noise ordinance violations.
Beefing up foot patrols is touchy, though. Seniors favor more cops walking the beat; others “feel harassed,” the councilwoman said. When officers were assigned to late night foot patrols in Manahan Village last year, the police union said it was punishment for a political dispute.
This story has been updated with comments from the MHA executive director and the Second Ward council representative, and Morristown Green’s attempts to reach the town public safety director,
Skateboard group terrorizes my commercial retail center. Create pedestrian hazard for tenants and customers and damage concrete. Repeatedly explained to them the issue (already getting sued by insurance fraud loser represented by notorious deadbeat ambulance chaser in Town-waited 2 years to report alleged incident knowing camera footage would be gone). One skateboarder had Mommy or Daddy call Police to report that I “was harassing them.” Police advised me to call when they cause trouble-I do and no names taken-right back later in the day. Was told they would stab me, etc. I shouldn’t be terrorized on property that has been owned by my family since early ’30s if not ’20s. Never had graffiti until they came around-now do along with back of Post Office building. I would mete out justice, however, I will be the “criminal.”
@Private…the irony
Flock safety/neighborhood watch:
Flocksafety.com
I don’t understand statements about budget issues and not maintaining camera systems.
Reps in the community should invest in aligning with enforcement tactics rather than any “anti itch”commentary.
With this shooting, is their any constructive outrage?
The police are damned if they do, damned if they dont! When they were serving the search warrant to get a child killer off the streets trying to protect the community it was looked down on and talked about in a negative way, now people are saying the loitering at night is out of hand, they dont feel safe and the police sit there and dont do anything about it? We all know if they tried to enforce No Loitering they would be accused of harassment towards the residents , so what are they supposed to do? Unfortunately a young man has lost his life, something has to be done in Manahan Village before another tragedy happens! It can be a safe beautiful community, but everyone has to do their part to make that happen! RIP young man!
RIP young man!
@Women, several questions for you…
What do you expect police to do? Ask everyone standing there for their IDs to make sure they live there (every day)?
Did you know that smoking/having weed is now legal?
How would you address the issue?
Have you spoken with the housing authority?
Put yourself in the officer’s shoes. Their job is to make sure nothing bad happens. They dont care about smoking and drinking because they know its not worth the backlash or disrespect that will get on the back end of it. All of the quality of life issues start from within the home. Doesnt a counselwomen live there? What has she done? How about having some community meetings in that fancy new park? I can go on and on
Get control of the town, get rid of loitering no matter who you are , teens young adults whoever . People should be able to live in their communities and feel safe . Not barricading in their homes at 7pm. The mayor should be concerned and take a stance and action. This is a beautiful town and we all should feel safe .
Jazzy J.. Deterrence is well established by increased police presence. This is not an opinion. Yes, Crime will always occur but It tends to shift away from areas saturated with heat and police. More police presence. Brighter lights, Heavy patrol. “”
This is so sad I live here for 6 years . And ever year it gets worse and worse out here. People are out here drinking smoking leaving a whole mess outside . People not caring that I’m walking in the building with my two kids they don’t even more over so we can walk in. People that don’t even live here just come here n make sure a mess outside . This place is not safe at all for kids! And it’s sad to say that my kids don’t come out to play at all not even the playground. Cops stand here and don’t do anything.
Snowbunny, um, no. Cops rarely prevent crime. They investigate after the fact. More police presence would not make a difference.
P.S. Quotes not needed.
Just a day after police were there looking for Urbina and people were saying things like this… “The residence wasn’t even occupied…our children won’t forget what they saw. But they want our children to respect the uniform. Where is the respect for our community?”… this happens!! I wonder if this is how some prefer their community to “be respected” or if this will be forgotten?! I guess some residents think this is better then children seeing police actually protecting them from individuals who commit crimes. Where are all the negative quotes about this like those that were said about the police looking for that monster child killer!?!?
You do realize there are like no more cops available right? Understaffed MPD is an understatement. They have hired anyone in years
Tragic, RIP.
Maybe it’s time for the “community” to round up their own petition with resident signatures making declarations that they want and empower more police presence with their community. Public declaration of request. This way it’s clear what the community as a whole is looking for, or maybe create a neighborhood watch.