Joshua Wise, 28, was arrested and charged
NEWARK – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose announced Sept. 3 that Joshua Wise, 28, of Newark has been arrested and charged with the murder of Johnnie Lattner, 55, also of Newark.
On Monday, Aug. 17, the victim was discovered unresponsive at his home on Mt. Pleasant Avenue in Newark. The death was initially considered suspicious but was later ruled a homicide following the autopsy.
The suspect, who knew the victim, has been charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
On Sept. 2, Wise was arrested. He is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark.
Lattner, a Mt. Olive, N.C. native, may be best known through the Parents Unified for Local School Education (PULSE) he co-founded with Sharon Smith.
PULSE organized a boycott of the Newark Public Schools in 2014. The New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights found valid PULSE’s 2012 and 2014 complaints that NPS’ “One Newark” plan of school consolidation and closings had particularly discriminated against African American and special needs students.
Lattner was a frequent education panelist, public speaker at NPS Board of Education meetings, Rutgers Abbott Leadership Institute class attendee and demonstrator. The 2018 NBOE independent candidate learned his activism skills at San Francisco’s Midwest Academy in 2005.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, is handling the active and ongoing investigation.
These are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they enter a guilty plea or are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
