Brick Teen Pleads Guilty in Shooting Near Brick Memorial HS; Prison Recommended

Police block off Lanes Mill Road near Brick Memorial High School, Oct. 22, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

A 16-year-old Brick Township youth pled guilty Friday to charges in connection with a shooting near Brick Memorial high school in October 2019.

Luis Rivas pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault in a plea deal just two days after he waived his right to have his case heard in Family Court as a juvenile. He had been charged with attempted murder following the shooting of another student, who did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

At the time of his sentencing on May 8, 2020, the state will recommend that Rivas be sentenced to a term of five years New Jersey State Prison. He is being sentenced under adult guidelines in the state’s No Early Release Act, which requires offenders to serve 85% of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

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On Tuesday, October 22, 2019, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Brick Township Police were called to Brick Memorial High School for a report of a student who had sustained a gunshot wound. An investigation revealed that the student was walking home from school with three friends when he was shot approximately one-quarter mile away from Brick Memorial on Lanes Mill Road; he then ran back to the school for help.

As a precaution, Brick Township Police and school officials locked down the high school as well as neighboring schools before determining there was no immediate danger to students. Several streets were blocked for hours during the investigation. The victim was treated at Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township and released.

Detectives, through their investigation, reviewed video surveillance footage from nearby residences, prosecutors said. The video surveillance depicted Rivas and a second juvenile acting together and in support of one another in carrying out the shooting. Rivas was apprehended on October 26, 2019, and has been lodged in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center since his apprehension.  The second juvenile is likewise lodged in the Juvenile Detention Center, and his matter remains pending in Family Court.