Kevin Clervil, 38, was shot during the predawn hours of June 2, 2025, on the 100 block of Summit Avenue in Phillipsburg. A 911 caller inside a home on that block reported someone attempting to forcibly enter; officers found Clervil outside the residence, wounded by multiple gunshots in the driveway or yard area just beyond the door he had allegedly been trying to reach. He was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital Warren Campus and pronounced dead a short time later.

Authorities said the people involved were known to one another and that the shooting did not appear random. Detectives from the Phillipsburg Police Department and the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police, investigated the scene and followed leads through the summer. On August 28 a complaint-warrant named 34-year-old James R. Dawes of Newark as the person believed responsible; Dawes was later located and arrested. Prosecutors say the case remains active and investigation is ongoing.

If anyone saw activity on Summit Avenue around 4:20–4:30 a.m. on June 2 or has information about the events leading up to the shooting, please share what is known with investigators.