A masked group stormed a Chick-fil-A on Route 22 in Union Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night, April 11, 2026, walked behind the counter and opened fire, leaving one person dead and six others wounded in what investigators believe was a targeted hit tied to a drug or gang dispute.
The gunfire erupted around 9 p.m. at the fast-food restaurant near Gelb Avenue, drawing a massive emergency response to the busy commercial corridor. When officers arrived, they found seven victims inside. One was pronounced dead at the scene. The other six were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said in an update on Sunday.
No arrests have been made, and the suspects remain at large. Union County Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an indictment and conviction.
A Targeted Attack, Not Random
Investigators say a preliminary review of the evidence indicates the shooting was not random and that the public faces no ongoing threat. According to ABC7 New York, the lone fatality is believed to have been the intended target. The other victims — including employees working the Saturday night shift — are believed to have been bystanders caught in the crossfire.
A family member who spoke with CBS News New York said their loved one witnessed an altercation between the gunmen before shots rang out. Separately, a man told CBS News New York that his girlfriend works at the restaurant and that a group of men entered and walked directly behind the counter before opening fire.
The father of one Chick-fil-A employee told reporters his son called him in a panic, describing multiple suspects in masks rushing into the establishment. The father drove to the scene and found what he called a “warzone.”
Audio from a 911 dispatcher captures the early chaos: “I got an unconscious witness. I’ve got one shot in the face … and I have at least two in the leg.”
Witnesses Describe a Chaotic Scene
Route 22 in Union Township is a dense retail strip where workers from neighboring restaurants and shops watched the events unfold in real time. Witness video obtained by CBS News New York shows a person in a mask sprinting from the building with a handgun. Other figures are seen scattering across the parking lot. A separate clip shows one of the wounded, conscious and on a stretcher, being treated near an ambulance by EMTs.
Ben Wegner, who was working at Botera Cannabis across the street, said the aftermath was unlike anything he had seen.
“Last night, around 8:20 p.m., 8:25 p.m., there was a lot of commotion on 22, a lot of people running in all sorts of different directions,” Wegner said. “When I came in this morning to review some of the footage, it was craziness.”
Lay Ben, working at the Wingstop across the road, said paramedics treated one of the victims near his restaurant. “One of the people that was hurt, the ambulance assisted them over here,” he said. “I just know that they were hurt in the leg and the cops were assisting them.”
A Lyft driver named Martin told ABC7 New York he was finishing a trip nearby when the shooting started and heard more than seven shots. He said he then headed to the Chick-fil-A to grab food but arrived to find the parking lot ringed with police cruisers.
Officials React to the Violence
[EDITOR: VERIFY OFFICIAL IDENTITY – Sources list “Gov. Mikie Sherrill” but Mikie Sherrill is U.S. Representative, not Governor. Phil Murphy is NJ Governor. Correct name/title needed.]
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued statements both on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon as the death toll was confirmed and the investigation expanded. She said she had been briefed by local law enforcement and was in close contact with officials on the ground.
“We now know that last night’s shooting in Union Township tragically claimed one life and left six others injured,” Sherrill said in her afternoon statement. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s loved ones, and we are hoping for the full recovery of those who were injured.”
Union Township Mayor Patricia Guerra-Frazier called the attack “a painful reminder of the work that remains to ensure the safety of our communities,” adding that “violence has no place in the Township of Union.”
Investigation Remains Active
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation and continues to canvass the area for surveillance footage, witness accounts and any digital traces left by the suspects. Authorities are still working to determine a motive, though early indicators point to a dispute connected to drugs or gangs. The names of the victims had not been released as of Sunday.
All Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays, leaving the Union Township storefront dark as detectives processed the scene. The restaurant sits in a heavily trafficked stretch of Route 22 where many of the workers are young — a fact that has unsettled neighboring businesses whose employees say the violence felt uncomfortably close.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. Anonymous tips can be submitted by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at uctip.org. The reward of up to $10,000 via Union County Crime Stoppers remains in place as the search for the masked gunmen continues.