A Mother's Day evening shooting at a notorious Paterson intersection left seven people injured ahead of Tuesday elections in a mayoral race defined by public safety.

PATERSON, N.J. — Seven people were shot at the intersection of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue on Sunday evening, leaving six hospitalized and a possible seventh victim who reportedly left the scene before police arrived, according to multiple local news reports.

With Paterson voters set to cast ballots on Tuesday in a mayoral race defined by public safety, the Mother's Day shooting handed challenger Alex Mendez a visceral, last-minute campaign moment less than two days before polls open.

The shooting occurred around 8:20 to 9 PM on Sunday, triggering a large police response to a corner with a documented history of federal gang enforcement and drug-related violence. As of early Monday morning, police had not provided information regarding a suspect, and the conditions of the victims remained unclear.

Mendez, who launched his mayoral campaign on March 22, was working at his campaign office one block from the shooting when gunfire erupted. He ran inside for cover, then returned to the scene to speak with reporters.

"Multiple people got shot right here. My office is a block away from here. I was working with all my volunteers and I hear the shooting. So it's scary. I mean, this city's out of control," Mendez told ABC 7.

Mendez has made public safety a centerpiece of his challenge to incumbent Mayor Andre Sayegh, campaigning on the theme of state control of the Paterson Police Department and rising taxes. His on-scene presence Sunday night, and his blunt assessment, now frames his closing argument to voters as they soon head to the polls.

Mendez's political resurgence comes after a six-year election fraud indictment was dismissed on April 13, 2026. A Passaic County judge found that prosecutors had intentionally withheld a witness immunity agreement from the grand jury and violated speedy trial requirements. 

Sayegh responded at the time: "Alex Mendez was not found innocent. The charges went away due to technicalities." Mendez, meanwhile, told supporters: "May 12th, we're going to be mayor to bring hope and safety to the City of Paterson." 

The intersection where Sunday's shooting occurred is not unfamiliar to federal law enforcement. In 2018 and 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice secured indictments against the "230 Boys" gang, which operated "primarily in and around Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue" in a heroin and fentanyl distribution network. A non-fatal shooting at the same corner occurred on May 10, 2025, exactly one year prior to Sunday's incident. Local reporting at the time described the location as a "notorious corner where drug gang activity has resulted in numerous gun crimes for more than a decade."

Sunday's violence also comes twenty-two days after a fatal shooting at East 29th Street and 10th Avenue on April 18. That event killed Marquir Darby, 20, and injured three others, including a 12-year-old boy, near a child's birthday party. Mayor Sayegh responded the following day: "One shooting is one too many" and asked residents to join him in prayer. As of early Monday morning, Mayor Sayegh had not issued a statement on Sunday's shooting. 

Sunday's incident marks the second mass shooting in New Jersey in just under a month. On April 11, a masked group entered a Chick-fil-A in Union Township, killing one person and injuring six others in an attack authorities believe was targeted. On May 1, Union County prosecutors announced the arrest of Jaheed Fields, 20, in Newark. A $10,000 reward had been offered prior to the arrest.

According to Paterson Police Department CompStat data, the city had recorded 11 shooting victims across 7 incidents year-to-date as of early May 2026. That's a decrease from 14 victims and 14 incidents during the same period in 2025. However, the two Paterson shootings threaten to reset that narrative, just as voters prepare to cast ballots.

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, led by Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, has not issued an official press release regarding Sunday's shooting as of early Monday. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO, email tips@passaiccountynj.org, or submit an anonymous tip via the office's website. 

Sources

• ABC 7 New York, "Multiple people shot at Paterson, New Jersey intersection" (May 11, 2026)

• News 12 New Jersey, "Multiple people shot in Paterson" (May 10, 2026)

• AOL, "Paterson shooting horror as 7 wounded in Mother's Day rampage" (May 11, 2026)

• Insider NJ, "Paterson Councilman Alex Mendez Launches Campaign for Mayor" (March 23, 2026)

• NorthJersey.com, "Judge rules on election fraud indictment against Paterson councilman" (April 13, 2026)

• Insider NJ, "Mendez Fraud Case Dismissed" (April 13, 2026)

• ABC 7, "20-year-old man killed, 3 hurt near child's birthday party in Paterson" (April 19, 2026)

• CBS News, "20-year-old killed, 3 injured in Paterson shooting near child's birthday party" (April 19, 2026)

• Fox 5 New York, "20-year-old killed, 3 injured in Paterson shooting near child's birthday party" (April 19, 2026)

• RLS Media, "Man Found Shot in the Leg in Paterson" (May 11, 2025)

• U.S. Department of Justice, "230 Boys Gang Indictments" (2018–2019)

• New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Paterson Police Department CompStat, Volume 4 Number 17, period ending April 26, 2026

• CBS News, "Suspect arrested in deadly New Jersey Chick-fil-A shooting" (May 1, 2026)