ELIZABETH — A city resident was stabbed to death early this morning, apparently inside a bar in the Elizabethport neighborhood, police and the Union County Prosecutor's Office said.
Anthony Carter, 27, was pronounced dead at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in the city shortly after the stabbing, which was called in to police at 12:21 a.m., a press release from the police said.
Officers dispatched to the End Zone, on the corner of First Street and Port Avenue, were met by the bar’s manager, who told them that a big fight had happened in the rear of the club and that patrons had been told to leave, the release said. Police then found “a bloody crime scene” in the bar but no victim.
Other officers in the vicinity, however, soon stopped a white sedan driving erratically with three people inside, including the wounded man, the prosecutor's office said. An ambulance was dispatched and Carter was transported to Trinitas.
City police detectives and from the prosecutor's office's homicide task force are investigating the homicide, Elizabeth’s third this year.
The End Zone, in a neighborhood with tidy two-story residences and some commerce, was closed late this morning. Signs outside the door warn against bringing in weapons or drugs, and prohibit the wearing of bandanas and do-rags.
A neighbor across the street said the bar was a popular destination and could get crowded on Wednesday nights.
Anyone with information on the stabbing or what might have led up to it is asked to contact detective James Szpond at (908) 558-2011. All calls will be kept confidential, police said.