Shot Reportedly Fired In Maplewood Home Invasion: Police

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - A violent home invasion ended with a handgun being reportedly being fired and the suspects are still on the run, according to Maplewood Police Chief James DeVaul.

Shortly after 3 a.m. this morning the Maplewood Police Department received a frantic 911 call from a woman claiming a pair of men had broken into her home on Lombardy Place and assaulted her fiance, police said.

The caller told dispatch that two men dressed in all black wearing masks armed with handguns threatened her and her fiance at gunpoint asking them for money.

The caller's fiancee wrestled control of a gun from one of the masked men and reportedly shot off a round at the suspects, who ran out the rear door of the residence, police said.

DeVaul noted that this information has not been confirmed by the investigators.

The suspects fled through the rear of the property into the yards off Burnett Avenue. DeVaul said it is unknown if the suspects were hit by the shot, but all area hospitals have been advised to be on alert.

A car believed to be driven by the suspects with fake New Jersey license plates was located in a parking lot nearby and was towed back to the Maplewood Police Department for further investigation, DeVaul said.

The Union Police and Union County Sheriff Dept K-9 responded to the scene and assisted in searching the area for the suspects, but were unsuccessful in finding them. Officers that responded to the scene determined entry was gained through a bathroom window in the rear of the home.

The male victim was evaluated by EMS on scene, but refused further medical attention. Authorities continue to canvass the area for witnesses, locate potential video, and search for additional evidence, DeVaul said. This incident appears to have been targeted towards the resident at the address and there is no reason to believe that the public is in any further danger, according to DeVaul.

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