Christian Orellana was 31 and from Plainfield when he was fatally shot on the patio of an apartment at the Malcolm Gardens Apartment Complex in North Plainfield on August 13, 2021. He had been spending time with two cousins when at least one assailant approached and opened fire at close range, striking all three men.

Orellana and his 14-year-old cousin Steven Jimenez were pronounced dead; the medical examiner ruled both deaths homicides. A third cousin, 28 at the time, was critically wounded and required emergency surgery. The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and the North Plainfield Police Department investigated, but motive remains unknown and no suspects have been publicly identified.

Authorities urged anyone with information to come forward, and Crime Stoppers of Somerset County offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to identification and arrest of those responsible. If anyone knew Christian or was near Malcolm Gardens on August 13, 2021, please share what was seen or heard.