Gunman fires at girl, 15, doesn't get away, cops say

Friday, December 04, 2009
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A 15-year-old Jersey City girl is lucky to be alive after an armed felon opened fire on her early yesterday morning and she was saved by her brother, who pushed her aside as the handgun went off, officials said.

Sequan N. Bennett, 26, of East Orange, was arrested after the incident on the 100 block of Union Street just after midnight and was charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses, reports said.

The victim said her mother and 18-year-old brother were present while she was hanging out with friends on Union Street around midnight and that Bennett drove up in a green SUV and she heard someone say "There they go!," reports said.

That's when Bennett allegedly got out of the driver's seat and walked toward the girl with a handgun trained on her, reports said.

The victim said Bennett didn't say anything before firing one round at her from the semiautomatic weapon just as her brother pushed her out of the way. She fell to the ground unharmed, reports said.

Bennett fled in the vehicle, heading west on Union Street toward Martin Luther King Drive, but the girl, her brother and another witness identified him as the shooter, reports said.

Bennett was arrested after the Ford Explorer was spotted at Hackensack Avenue and Routes 1&9, reports said.

Police searched the scene of the incident but could not find a spent shell casing, reports said.

Police would not provide further information about the incident.

Bennett was in prison from May 21, 2004 to July 21, 2008 for crimes committed in Hudson and Passaic counties including aggravated assault, receiving stolen property, giving false information, and two counts of drug possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of school property, according to state corrections records.