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Man Arrested, Charged In Murder Of Missing Bridgeton Man Jonathan Morris, New Jersey State Police Say

BRIDGETON CITY N.J. (CBS) -- A man has been arrested and charged with the murder of 23-year-old Jonathan Morris, a missing Bridgeton man who was found dead Monday in Hopewell Township. New Jersey State Police announced the arrest of 21-year-old Miguel Perez, of Bridgeton, on Tuesday.

Morris had been missing since Jan. 28, when state troopers found his vehicle abandoned on Archie Platt Road in Hopewell Township.

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State police say an investigation led them to identify Perez as the suspect in Morris' disappearance, and detectives arrested him at his home on Monday. Morris's body was found about 15 feet from the roadway on Archie Platt Road covered in snow shortly thereafter.

According to investigators, Perez allegedly shot and killed Morris, affectionately called "Jon Jon," inside his vehicle in Bridgeton City, then drove to Archie Platt Road. Perez, according to police, then dumped Morris's body and abandoned the vehicle before he went to a home on Cottage Avenue in an attempt to get rid of any evidence.

Perez has been charged with murder, desecration of human remains, and related charges.

The incident remains under active investigation.

CBS3's Alecia Reid contributed to this report.

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