Two men charged with murder in March Eagle Rock shooting death of Bronx man
Law enforcement charged two men with murder in the shooting death of a Bronx man at Eagle Rock Reservation on March 4, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Michael Verdel, 71, of the Bronx, and Posley Sulaiman, 31, of Detroit, met Kelsey Steels, 31, in the Bronx and brought him to New Jersey, where they allegedly shot and killed him at the reservation.
Verdel, who prosecutors said is known as "The Rabbi," was arrested in New York and extradited to New Jersey and will appear at a detention hearing on May 16. Sulaiman had previously been in custody in New York on a gun charge, and remains in custody at Rikers Island. Both men were charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, conspiracy and robbery.
Eagle Rock Reservation comprises areas of Montclair, West Orange and Verona along the ridge of the Watchung Mountain Range.
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The 408-acre park is far smaller than other nearby reservations, such as South Mountain, which stretches across more than 2,000 acres between West Orange and Millburn.
Eagle Rock features just a few trail loops over a relatively flat expanse at the top of First Mountain, along with the county's 9/11 memorial and a panoramic vista of the New York City skyline.
Sarah Butler, the final victim of Essex County serial killer Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, was discovered in the weeds near a valet parking lot on the reservation in December 2016.
Liam Quinn is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Email: quinnl@northjersey.com
Twitter: @Liam_D_Quinn
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Eagle Rock Reservation NJ: Two men charged with murder in shooting
