Crime & Safety
Identity Released Of Old Bridge Man Killed By Police Officer
The Attorney General also released the name of the officer who fatally shot the 26-year-old man Monday in Laurence Harbor:
LAURENCE HARBOR, NJ — On Friday afternoon, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin revealed the identity of the young man who was shot and killed earlier this week by an Old Bridge police officer.
The man who was killed is Luke Mendez, 26, of Laurence Harbor. The officer who fatally shot him Old Bridge Police Officer Christopher Hammel, said the Attorney General.
As of Friday afternoon, no charges have been filed against Hammel. However, the Attorney General said his investigation is still underway.
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According to the preliminary investigation, a 911 call was made to Old Bridge Police at approximately 3:09 p.m. Monday. The call was made from a home on Woodland Avenue in the Laurence Harbor section.
Mendez lived in the home with his family, neighbors said.
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Patrolman Hammel responded and at some point during the encounter inside the home, he fired his service weapon, ultimately killing Mendez, said the AG.
A knife was recovered at the scene near Mendez.
Mendez was taken to Old Bridge Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:47 p.m. that same day.
Anytime someone is killed by a police officer in New Jersey, the Attorney General has to investigate. By law, the Attorney General has to present the findings of its investigation to a grand jury to determine if the officer (or officers) involved will be indicted on criminal charges.
Woodland Avenue is a quiet, dead-end street near Raritan Bay. On Thursday afternoon, neighbors on the block said they knew the family and described a sad scene.
"It's sad. He was a young kid," said one man, who did not want to be named.
He said Mendez lived in the home with his mother and grandmother. He said the grandmother witnessed the shooting of her grandson and she too had to be taken to the hospital on Monday.
"There were a lot of police cars, two ambulances. They closed off the whole street until 11 p.m. that day," he said.
Initial Patch report on this incident: Man Fatally Shot By Police Officer In Old Bridge Monday
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