A New Jersey man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a deadly shooting in Rahway in 2022, authorities said Wednesday.
Brandan Melford, 34, pleaded guilty earlier this year to the killing of Jack Harris in the city about 20 miles southwest of Central Park, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s office.
Harris, a 44-year-old Roselle resident, was found shot to death on a street in Rahway on Nov. 12, 2022. Melford was arrested two days later.
“I hope this sentence can provide some assurance to the victim and his family, as well as the community, that we will not tolerate these egregious offenses and will expend all of our efforts to bring offenders to justice,” Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said Wednesday.
Melford was initially charged with murder and two weapons crimes when he was arrested. The top charge was changed to aggravated manslaughter when Melford took a plea deal on June 27, 2025, the prosecutor’s office said.
Melford’s sentence was delivered on Sept. 5, authorities said. Under New Jersey law, Melford must serve at least 85% of his sentence, or 21 years and three months. Prosecutors did not explain any connection between the two men or publicly speculate on a motive for the shooting.
Shootings in Rahway, which has 30,000 residents, are relatively rare. The only publicly reported shooting in 2025 occurred on July 19, when officers found a live 9-mm. round near what appeared to be blood in a driveway, but no suspects or victims were ever announced in connection with the evidence.
