Teen Shot on Hoover Avenue Saturday

Police are searching for two men believed to have shot a teenager on Hoover Avenue in Bloomfield last weekend.

The 16-year-old boy, of Bloomfield, was shot in the abdomen shortly after midnight Saturday on Hoover Avenue near Pilgrim Court, according to Sgt. Anthony Servedio, Bloomfield Police Department spokesperson. The teen told police officers he had been walking home from a local fast-food restaurant when he was approached by two men emerging from the dead end of Pilgrim Court.

The teen, who was not identified by police, was approached by the men who asked him if he knew anyone who "sells weed," to which he answered "no," Servedio said. At that point, one of the men demanded the teen empty his pockets, when the teen saw spotted a black handgun. The teen was shot when he tried to run away.

The teen was taken with his mother to University Hospital in Newark where his injuries were said to be non-life threatening. A search of the area for the two men by Bloomfield police and surrounding agencies was unsuccessful.

No proceeds were taken from the teen. A shell casing and an unknown quantity of controlled dangerous substance was recovered from the scene.

The two men were described by the teen as:

• A light-skin black male in his mid-20s, 5'6 tall, 180 lbs. wearing a black bandana and black hooded sweatshirt
• A dark-skinned black male with facial hair, approximately 5'9-5'10 tall, thin build, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt

Anyone with information on this incident may call the Bloomfield Police Department at 973-680-4072 or 973-680-4084.

The Bloomfield Police Department Youth Aid Division and Criminal Investigation Bureau, as well as the Essex County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the incident.