Officials confirmed that a 17-year-old Paterson boy was stabbed to death in the 5th Ward on Sunday in Paterson's 6th homicide of the year.

The victim was found in an industrial area near the corner of 18th Avenue and East 26th Street at about 9:30 a.m., authorities said. The Paterson Police Department has released no other details on the case.

The victim, Nadjhier Barner-Timmons, attended Destiny Academy, an alternative school for students with behavioral problems, officials said.

"Right now, we are praying for the family in their time of grief," said Moses McKenzie, vice principal at Destiny.

School district officials said they are providing counseling for other students at Destiny, which is located on State Street. Several students from Destiny declined to discuss the killing when approached by a reporter on Monday afternoon.

"We are deeply saddened to learn about the loss of one of our students and my sincerest condolences go out to his family," said schools superintendent Donnie Evans in written statement. "Too many of our city's young men and women have become victims of recent violent acts and this problem seems to be escalating."

Evans said the district is working on an anti-gang program to address the problem.

"We cannot simply shake our heads and hope this problem will magically disappear," said the superintendent. "We must sharpen our focus to ensure that we are educating our children about the perils of gangs, and how to make better life choices. I am currently working to develop a program to help us bring about positive change. Each life is precious and we cannot accept the status quo."

Officials said there are no indications that the killing was connected to the April 18 drive-by shooting in the 4th Ward that took the life of a 15-year-old basketball star.

On Monday, detectives were seen in the industrial area and along the railroad tracks near 17th and East 26th avenues. People who live near East 25th and 18th avenues on Monday afternoon said there was a police presence in the area on Sunday morning.

Sunday's stabbing was Paterson's third homicide in April. Half of Paterson's killings this year have occurred in the 5th Ward.