FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Raymond Worrall
PHONE: (201) 795-6400 Ext. 6737
EMAIL: rworrall@hcpo.org
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 2019
HUDSON COUNTY SHOOTING RESPONSE TEAM INVESTIGATES OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING IN NEWARK
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:
On Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at approximately 12:45 p.m., two plainclothes law enforcement officers were operating an unmarked vehicle while on-duty in the area of South Orange Avenue and Bergen Street in Newark.
As they were traveling on South Orange Avenue they encountered a vehicle and the officers eventually interacted with the occupants of that vehicle. Both vehicles continued to travel. It has been reported that while on Bergen Street, one of the occupants of the vehicle brandished a weapon.
Both officers then discharged their service weapons, striking the vehicle. The occupants fled the scene in the vehicle and have not been apprehended. At this time it is believed that no one was struck by the gunfire, but the investigation is ongoing.
The vehicle, a Honda CRV, was eventually located on 17th Avenue in Newark. It was later discovered that the vehicle was reported stolen in Newark on May 3, 2019.
The officers involved in the shooting have been identified as a Newark Police Detective and a New Jersey State Trooper. Both of the officers were transported to University Hospital for evaluation.
The New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice was immediately notified of the incident and directed the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor to conduct the use of force investigation due to multiple conflicts with the officers who discharged their weapons during this incident. The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Shooting Response Team is in the early stages of the investigation.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor’s official website at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential.