Police Subdue Ocean County Man Who Sought To Commit Suicide By Cop

JACKSON, NJ -- A man who repeatedly threatened to kill a police officer if police did not kill him first was subdued without a violent confrontation Sunday evening, police said.

Jackson Township Capt. Steven Laskiewicz said Police Officer Keith French responded to a neighborhood located off of North County Line Road shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday for a report of a suspect who had threatened a victim with a knife.

French found man in the area with both of his hands in his pockets who fit the reported description of the suspect, Laskiewicz said, and French drew his firearm and ordered the man to show his hands.

The man then told French he had called in the report, had a knife and would kill French if the officer did not kill him first, and that he planned to commit “suicide by cop,” Laskiewicz said.

Jackson Officers Cherrick Daniels, Sean Greenberger and Jeff Henba arrived and all four continued to talk with the man, trying to get him to drop the knife, Laskiewicz said. But the man continued to say he would use the knife on the officers if they did not kill him first, he said.

The man then ran off but officers caught up with him a short distance away and they surrounded him while Sgt. Wayne Olejarz sprayed the man with oleoresin capsicum (commonly referred to as pepper spray), which resulted in him dropping the knife and subsequently being taken into custody, Laskiewicz said.

A large steak knife was recovered by the officers, he said.

Despite his statements of wanting to make the officers shoot him, the man did not make any offensive attempts to harm the officers with the knife, Laskiewicz said.

He was treated by First Aid and then transported to an area hospital for treatment. No charges are expected at this time, Laskiewicz said.