RUMSON - The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding the pre-dawn police shooting Friday of a burglary suspect in this upscale borough.
Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said a Fair Haven police officer encountered two burglary suspects in a moving vehicle and shot one of them, identified only as a 27-year-old Newark man.
The man's injuries were not life-threatening, and he was taken to a local hospital, Santiago said.
The second suspect was in custody, with charges pending, said prosecutor's spokesman Mark Spivey.
The officer involved in the shooting , who was not identified, also was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, the prosecutor said.
Although the prosecutor said the officer was not injured, the New Jersey State Policeman's Benevolent Association had earlier reported on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that one of their officers was recovering at a hospital.
"Our officer involved in the overnight incident in Rumson is recovering at the hospital,'' the PBA said on X. "We thank all those who have reached out.''
Peter Andreyev, president of the state PBA, was not immediately available for comment, and no further information was available on the officer.
According to a preliminary investigation, officers from the Rumson Police Department and neighboring towns were dispatched just before 4:45 a.m. to the area of Avenue of the Two Rivers South and Shrewsbury Drive on a report of suspected burglaries in the neighborhood of multi-million-dollar homes, the prosecutor said.
During the police response and investigation, a Fair Haven officer encountered two suspects in a moving vehicle and fired his service weapon, striking one of the occupants, according to a news release issued by Santiago.
Residents of the area told the Asbury Park Press they heard police sirens and gunfire before dawn, in the area of Avenue of the Two Rivers and Rumson Road.
A woman who lives on Avenue of the Two Rivers told the Asbury Park Press she heard a siren and then gunshots, possibly four or five, around 4 or 4:30 a.m.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she went outside about 6 a.m. with a neighbor to find numerous police cars in the area and police tape blocking off the area.
She said this is not something she would expect to happen in her neighborhood.
Another woman who was at the scene at Avenue of the Two Rivers and Rumson Road this morning, who did not want to be named, said she was awakened by sirens and gunshots sometime around 5 a.m.
Authorities this morning were swarming around a vehicle that had crashed into bushes outside a home on Avenue of Two Rivers. Numerous evidence markers were on the ground, surrounding the vehicle..
Police were also seen conducting an investigation at a house on Woodmere Avenue, about two blocks away.
By 11:30 a.m., the area had been reopened.
Santiago said misinformation about the incident has been circulating.
"We have become aware of a degree of misinformation about this incident that has been circulating on social media and online, and we urge the public and the media to avoid speculation until this investigation has determined the relevant facts with certainty,'' Santiago said.
The prosecutor's Professional Responsibility Unit and Major Crimes Bureau are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, in accordance with the state Attorney General's directive involving use of force by police, the prosecutor said.
"I have every confidence that the detectives from our Professional Responsibility Unit and Major Crimes Bureau will continue to investigate this incident in a meticulous and objective manner,'' Santiago said.
The prosecutor said no further information will be released at this time, but will be as it becomes available.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact prosecutor's detectives Joseph Pahopin or Michael Donovan at 1-800-533-7443.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Officer shot Newark man in pre-dawn burglary probe in Rumson: prosecutor
Local News
