Suspect Arrested in Early Morning Orange County Shooting

Quick reaction by law enforcement from the city of Newburgh Police Department lead to the apprehension and arrest of a suspect in an apparent shooting at a location in the city late last weekend. Multiple officers as well as K-9 assistance were called to the scene and managed to contain the situation before majority of residents had even woken up.

ShotSpotter Activation in Newburgh

The incident in question reportedly occurred during the early morning hours of Sunday January 19, 2025. City of Newburgh Police Officers were alerted to an apparent shooting that occurred in the area of 35 Cerone Place.

Newburgh Police were alerted to the shooting thanks to ShotSpotter activation. Following the ShotSpotter activation, officers quickly responded to and arrived on the scene at approximately 2:46am.

According to the recently issued press release from the City of Newburgh Police Department, the fist officer that arrived on scene was identified as Officer Fayo. Upon arrival, Officer Fayo noticed a male individual within the range of the ShotSpotter and proceeded to call in back-up. That call was met by Officer Vasquez shortly after the call was made.

After arriving on the scene, Officer Vasquez attempted to approach the individual. That individual responded by throwing what was described as a "heavy object" into the nearby woods. Immidiately after this action, the suspect was detained and identified to be Samuel Ponder, a 50-year-old City of Newburgh resident.

Scene Investigation

After detaining the suspect, officers on scene continued their investigation. Officers canvassed the wooded area where the suspect had thrown the "heavy object" and were successful in finding a loaded Glock 42 semiautomatic handgun loaded with .380 caliber ammunition.

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Additional assistance would soon arrive on scene in the form of Sgt. Rivera and K-9 partner Raz. Sgt. Rivera with K-9 Raz began their own search of the area as they looked for the spent shell casings. Together they would find one shell casing in the area of the ShotSpotter and that casing matched that of the firearm that was discovered.

The suspect Samuel Ponder was then officially placed under arrest and taken into custody. Ponder was charged with...

• Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree
• Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd Degree
• Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree
• Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree

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​The case is still under investigation by the city of Newburgh Police. The police are also asking for anyone with information on the case to contact City of Newburgh Detectives. That can be done by calling 845-569-7519. Information given to law enforcement will also be considered confidential.