Rahway Man Charged in Linden Carjacking, Wilson Park Shooting

A Rahway man faces multiple felony charges in connection with a carjacking and a shooting at a crowded Linden park, both allegedly carried out on the same day last month.

Ryan Billups, 20, was arrested at his Rahway home on May 28 without incident. He is charged with first-degree carjacking, conspiracy to commit carjacking, two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, three counts of third-degree aggravated assault, and one count of fourth-degree aggravated assault.

According to Linden detectives, Billups and a masked accomplice approached a driver on E. Gibbons Street in the early morning hours of April 15, ordered him out of his vehicle at gunpoint, and fled with the car. Later that evening, the men allegedly fired more than a dozen rounds toward a crowd gathered at Wilson Park on the 1000 block of Summit Terrace. No one was injured.

Billups was remanded to Essex County Jail pending a Superior Court appearance. It is unclear whether Billups has retained an attorney or been assigned a public defender. No details were provided about the second suspect. The Central Jerseyan reached out to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office for comment.