Mom Shot Outside Linden Wendy’s While Kids Sat In Back Seat: Campaign

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A 35-year-old Elizabeth woman was shot while sitting in her car outside a Linden Wendy’s with her two young children, authorities and loved ones said.

Just after 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, officers responded to 709 S. Wood Ave. on reports of shots fired, according to Linden Police Capt. Christopher Guenther. Officers found the victim seated in a vehicle in the parking lot with a single gunshot wound. She was treated at the scene and transported to Newark University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Guenther said.

Friends identified the victim as Nelkys, a mother of two and small business owner from Elizabeth, in a GoFundMe. Stephanie Bastos said Nelkys had taken her boys to Wendy’s when “a nearby argument escalated outside.” As she returned to the car, “gunfire broke out. Nelkys was struck by a bullet while her two boys were in the back seat,” Bastos wrote.

“In that terrifying moment, she stayed calm and brave for her children until first responders arrived,” the fundraiser says. The campaign notes that Nelkys faces a “long and difficult recovery” while caring for her children and keeping her business afloat.

The fundraiser aims to cover medical expenses, childcare, household needs, and lost income. Click here to view the campaign.

Detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Jim Garrison at (908) 474-8045 or jgarrison@lpdnj.org. Tips may also be shared anonymously at crimetips@lpdnj.org, police said.