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Murder investigation underway in Teaneck, NJ: Video
Teaneck and Bergen County police officers respond to a homicide investigation on Hickory Street in Teaneck on Thursday, August 15, 2024.
The New York City man charged with fatally shooting his twin sister in Teaneck on Thursday was free on bail, facing attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting an innocent bystander in a broad-daylight shooting at a busy Harlem intersection earlier this year, according to records obtained by NorthJersey.com.
Jonathan D. Hagley, 26, is charged with murder, weapons possession and obstruction of justice, records show. The shooting occurred Thursday at his family home on Hickory Street. Hagley’s father called 911 around 8:25 a.m. to report that his son had shot his daughter, later identified as Naomi Hagley, according to an affidavit filed at his arrest.
Police found Naomi Hagley with three gunshot wounds inside the home and took her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. Her brother had fled the home and was found several blocks away by Bogota police officers. A Glock 30s pistol with no serial number was found “in an area consistent with the direction” Jonathan Hagley had run, the affidavit said.
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Hagley was scheduled to appear in court from the Bergen County Jail for an initial hearing on Friday, but he was medically sedated and his attorney, David Blum, waived his appearance. Blum said he had not yet spoken to Hagley but believes he will be retained because he is representing him in the New York matter. Blum did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Bergen County prosecutors plan to remand Hagley in custody pending the outcome of the charges. He is scheduled to appear for a hearing next week.
A shooting in Harlem
On Jan. 23, Hagley pleaded not guilty in New York County Supreme Court in Manhattan to charges of attempted second-degree murder, assault and various weapons offenses, according to documents filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
A judge granted Assistant District Attorney Mary Rogowski’s request to set bail at $100,000 cash or $300,000. Although it is unclear which method was used, Hagley paid bail and was released.
Authorities said Hagley was involved in a shooting around 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 15 that began with a physical altercation with two other men not far from his West 136th Street apartment complex in Harlem. Hagley, who was carrying a firearm with an extended magazine, was approached by two men before one of the men allegedly shot Hagley twice before they ran away, Rogowski said during his Jan. 23 hearing.
Details of the hearing were provided to NorthJersey.com by M’Niyah Lynn, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The incident was captured on video surveillance and showed Hagley chasing the men and walking around the block before firing his gun three times into a busy intersection in broad daylight, Rogowski told the judge. Hagley allegedly struck a 37-year-old bystander in the spine as he stood in the median of the intersection, Rogowski said. At the time of the hearing, the man still had a bullet lodged in his spine, but he was stable. Hagley was allegedly shot in the buttocks and also received medical treatment.
Three shell casings were found at the scene, Rogowski said. A firearm and an extended magazine were found where Hagley later walked between cars on Seventh Avenue before entering a deli, Rogowski said.
Rogowski said at the hearing that the evidence was strong based on the video evidence and that Hagley was facing a long prison sentence. Hagley was on probation at the time due to previous convictions in Bergen County.
His next court hearing in Manhattan is scheduled for September 9.
Jonathan Hagley’s criminal past, appeal attempts
In March 2018, Hagley was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, burglary and illegal possession of a weapon, court records show. Prosecutors had offered Hagley a global plea deal for two separate arrests, one in November 2016 in Garfield and another while he was in the Bergen County Jail, records show.
Hagley entered a Garfield apartment on Nov. 19, 2016, armed with a gun that allegedly fired to commit a burglary, prosecutors said. He was charged with 10 counts, including attempted murder, after he was later found with the gun used in the break-in, records show. He pleaded guilty to burglary and illegal possession of a firearm from that incident.
While incarcerated at the Bergen County Jail, Hagley was accused on May 30, 2017, of assaulting an inmate by slashing his face with a blade. He was charged with four counts, but later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
Hagley immediately appealed his seven-year sentence, claiming the judge failed to take into account several factors that were important to him, including his young age of 18 at the time of the crimes, according to an unpublished Court of Appeal decision. The appeal was rejected.
Hagley later filed a petition with the court to overturn his conviction, known as post-conviction relief. This time, he cited inadequate legal counsel. He cited several factors that were ultimately rejected, including a claim that he did not intend to hurt anyone with the gun. He also claimed he reacted to the Bergen County inmate in self-defense, records show.
A judge found no reason for a hearing, and Hagley appealed to a higher court. The appeals court denied Hagley’s appeal, finding his claim that his attorney was incompetent to be without merit.
Hagley was released from Bayside State Prison on November 25, 2022.
Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook.
