The New Jersey teen who allegedly gunned down a Newark detective and wounded another in a hail of 29 bullets caught their attention less than an hour before — when he flashed the eventual murder weapon live on Instagram, The Post has learned.
The 14-year-old tough guy’s post meant to intimidate a rival, and set in motion the series of events that eventually led to the shocking March 7 slaying.
The teen left home around 5:50 p.m. — 40 minutes before the shootout — to meet friends at the White Castle near Carteret Street and Broadway, according to his aunt, Hadiyah Sorey, who spoke to The Post this week from outside the three-family home she shares with her nephew and his mom, her twin, on North 9th Street.
At White Castle, he posted the video of the ghost gun that law enforcement sources said was later used to kill Detective Joseph Azcona.
“He was seen flashing, showing off the gun on Instagram live,” the source said. The weapon was equipped with a conversion device that enabled it to fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger, the source said.
The teen was firmly on police radar because of multiple arrests, including a robbery and “other serious crimes,” a law enforcement source said. The local cops were working with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and they were already monitoring his social media when he posted the video.
“They look at the video, identify the location and they respond to the location in an unmarked police vehicle,” the source said.
“They saw him walking with a group of kids,” the source continued. “They call for backup, which is the other unmarked unit. They all get out of the car, identify themselves as police and the kid turns around and starts shooting right away.”
Azcona, 26, never even made it out of his vehicle.
The five-year veteran of the force suffered mortal wounds as he sat in the patrol car as other officers traded fire with the teen.
“They didn’t know that [Azcona] was hit right away,” the source said. “The backup officers, they found him . . . and they hightailed it to the hospital.”
The dead cop’s partner was shot below his vest and had to have part of his liver and intestines removed, the source said. He was released from the hospital on Thursday.
The teen was hit in the leg and arm, and is still hospitalized, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. He was charged with first- and second-degree murder.
Azcona’s partner, who has only been identified as Manny, spoke at Azcona’s funeral at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart last Friday.
The boy’s aunt claimed the teen had reason to have a quick trigger finger — her nephew was “shot at” the day before, which is why he had a gun on him in the first place.
Newark police would not comment on the active investigation.
She said her nephew told her that the cops were in unmarked cars, wore ski masks and had shotguns drawn. He fired on them because he thought it was the shooter from the day before, she claimed.
As he was being arrested her nephew told the officers, ‘I didn’t know y’all was the police,’” the aunt said. “He wouldn’t have shot at them if he knew they were cops.”
A law enforcement source insisted cops clearly identified themselves — and had their shields hanging around their necks and were wearing bulletproof vests that said “police” on them.
The aunt said her nephew might as well be dead.
“Do you really think a 14-year-old wants to kill a cop?” she said. “He’s f–ked his whole life up at 14. He’s a good kid. Now his life’s over.”
The teen is not in a gang, his aunt insisted, instead blaming social media for making kids “misguided.”
His mother, Rabiyah Sorey, 43, refused to comment when approached by The Post at her home, where she sat in a chair outside, hugging herself.
The boy’s aunt called the whole situation “horrible.”
“Two families are hurting now,” she said.
None more than Azcona’s family, which is “devastated,” a law enforcement source said.
“He was a really good police officer — a good person,” the source said. “He really, really loved this job.”
