Two 20-year-olds and two teens in Monmouth County face charges in Howell Township for allegedly shooting total strangers at random with a pellet gun from a car.

(Anton Prado Photography, ThinkStock)
(Anton Prado Photography, ThinkStock)
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Juwan Meredith and a 16- and 17-year-old, all of Howell, and Khiry Carpenter of Freehold Boro were charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, according to Howell police.

The incident unfolded Monday afternoon at about 1:44 PM, when a bicyclist reported to officers that a gold-colored 2003 Nissan Altima pulled up to him on Bergerville Road, just over the Freehold Township border, and someone inside shot him.

The projectile grazed his left leg, breaking skin, police said. The victim surmised that it was a BB or pellet gun because there was noise but no flash from the muzzle.

Patrol officers were searching for the car when man called 911 to report three shots fired at him while he was performing yard work in front of his house. He told police that he took one direct hit, and two pellets missed him.

The second victim emerged with a circular patch of skin, about an inch in diameter, torn away near the collarbone, police said.

The car description matched the one given by the first victim, along with a description of the occupants, direction of travel and a partial license plate identification.

Sergeant Ron Rhein tracked the foursome to the WaWa on Route 9 at White Street in Howell, police said. The gun, described as a Tanfoglio 6mm air soft pistol, was recovered. Police said it bears a close resemblance to an actual weapon.

The teens were placed in the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center. Meredith and Carpenter were sent to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold in lieu of $30,000 full bail each. The Nissan was seized as well.

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