2 children shot inside car in Newark by gunman in stolen vehicle

NEW JERSEY - Two children are recovering, and a 30-year-old man is in critical condition after being shot in Newark while riding in a car, said police.

The 4-year-old and 7-year-old boys were inside the vehicle that was stopped at a red light at about 6 p.m. Wednesday near Irvine Turner Boulevard and West Kinney Street when the gunman opened fire striking everyone in the vehicle except the children's mother.

According to police, the shooter was in a vehicle that had the keys inside when it was stolen in Kearny.

"We need people everywhere to stop leaving their cars unlocked with the key in them," said Public Safety Director Brian O'Hara. "This kind of carelessness is repeatedly contributing to violence and enabling more serious harm to occur in our communities."

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The victims are being treated at University Hospital.

The motive for the shooting is not clear.

Earlier this year, a 12-year-old boy sitting in a car in Brooklyn was shot and killed. The boy was shot in the head and multiple times in the body while sitting in the passenger seat of a Toyota Corolla near East 56th Street and Linden Boulevard in East Flatbush