Would-be robbers in Paterson shoot at teenager chasing them

PATERSON — A pair of men fired two shots at a teenager who chased them after a botched robbery on Friday afternoon, police said.

No one was shot or injured in the incident, and the two suspects — described only as a black man and a Hispanic man, both in their 20s — remained at large Friday night, said Lt. Ronald Humphrey of the Paterson police.

The incident began around 4 p.m., when the two men knocked on the door of a house on East 36th Street, Humphrey said. When a 13-year-old boy answered, the men brandished a handgun and attempted to force their way in.

The boy alerted his parents, and together the three forced the front door shut, prompting the two men to flee, Humphrey said.

The boy’s older brother then chased the intruders, prompting one of them to fire two shots in his direction, Humphrey said. Both shots missed, but bullet casings were recovered.

With the help of a neighbor, the family called police and “units converged on the scene,” Humphrey said. Authorities were investigating the incident late Friday.