Felon charged with killing beloved Trenton activist

Antonio Sloan, 25, of Second Street was apprehended at his home at 6 a.m. Wednesday by members of a federal task force on felony murder and robbery charges brought by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force.

TRENTON -- A convicted felon with the street name "Riot" has been charged with killing James Wells, the 72-year-old activist and former restaurateur beloved by many in the city. 

Antonio Sloan, 25, of Second Street was apprehended at his home at 6 a.m. Wednesday by members of a U.S. Marshals task force on felony murder and robbery charges brought by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force.

Antonio Sloan
 

Sloan allegedly punched and kicked Wells' head and body on Sept. 13 on East Hanover Street near North Broad Street, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said in a release. Wells died at a city hospital Sept. 24.

Wells formerly operated Wellsy's Restaurant and Deli on North Montgomery Street and continued to live in an apartment in the building.

The statement said Sloan also reached into Wells' pocket and removed property while Wells was down on the ground, resulting in a robbery charge.

Investigators familiar with the investigation said detectives found no apparent motive for the beating Wells suffered and the attack appears to be a senseless street crime.

The prosecutor's office said detectives did obtain video footage of the crime and Sloan was identified as a suspect through video analysis and witness statements.

Sloan was released from state prison in May of this year after serving about 15 months behind bars for a weapon possession conviction from 2013, records show.

In 2012, Sloan and another man were arrested on arson and firearms charges for setting fire to a car on North Montgomery Street during an incident in which shots were fired.

When police arrived at the scene in 2012, they found Sloan nearby with a gunshot wound to his genitals and upper thigh. Sloan told officers that someone shot him, but a doctor who examined the wounds concluded the injuries were consistent with a person accidentally shooting themselves with a loaded gun lodged in a waistband, authorities said.

James Wells, in a 2002 file photo, when he ran for Trenton City Council's North Ward seat.
 

Friends and loved ones said Wells, who they knew as Jimmy or Wellsy, was immensely interested in Trenton and would help out anybody in need. Wells also ran for city council in 2002.

"He was just a gentle, loving guy, and he always helped everyone," Carmen Alicea, Wells' companion said recently. "If you needed help, he would help you." Alicea said.

Wells' obituary said he was born in Ewing and graduated from Ewing High School and served in the U.S. Army before working for Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick before opening his restaurant.

As an activist, the obituary said, he was outspoken at city council meetings and not only called attention to the adverse conditions in Trenton, but offered the solutions needed to resolve them.

Lately, Wells was working as a self-employed contractor and painter. His obituary described him as a "street missionary and spiritual soul."

Last week, people who knew him said he was original to the end, living in and caring for his neighborhood, and always looking to future prosperous times in the city.

"He believed in his town, and fought to see it return, even till the end when the streets that he tried so valiantly to revive turned on him and his dreams," a friend wrote in a remembrance.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.