JERSEY CITY -- The stabbing death of 19-year old Darnell Williams of Jersey City over the holiday weekend is believed by investigators to have started after an argument.

Williams was stabbed on Bergen Avenue around 1 a.m. on Saturday, July 3, not far from Hudson Catholic High School.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said that there had been a physical confrontation between Williams and another man prior to the murder. “This started as an argument that escalated into a physical altercation and then the stabbing,” said DeFazio.

According to investigators, Williams was stabbed twice – once to the lower abdomen and once to upper abdomen.

A patrol unit of the Jersey City Police Department was flagged down by witnesses at approximately 12:50 a.m. on Saturday morning. DeFazio said a suspect left the scene and fled east on Montgomery Street.

Williams was brought to Jersey City Medical Center and pronounced dead at the hospital around 11 a.m. that same morning.

Investigators said there is no evidence that the murder was a result of gang involvement or a “revenge” killing. Nor was there a robbery in this case.

DeFazio said there were “a significant number of people” at the area around a Bergen Avenue fried chicken restaurant where the stabbing took place. The restaurant was open for business at the time of the stabbing.

The investigation is ongoing and officials are currently seeking witnesses. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Square at (201) 915-1345.