Prosecutor: Man Indicted For Attempted Murder Of Police Officer In Monmouth County

A Woodbridge man has been indicted for the attempted murder of a police officer in Monmouth County.

A grand jury handed up the indictment Wednesday, charging Oswaldo Torres-Quiroz, 22, of Fiume Street in the Iselin section of Woodbridge, with attempted murder, attempting to disarm at law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and unlawful possession of a weapon.

According to a news release from acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni:

Around 9:20 a.m. on Sept. 29, Asbury Park Police Officers Carl Christie and Johnny Washington were sent to investigate a report of a disorderly man outside 619 Main St. in the city.

When they arrived, the defendant was holding a steak knife through his shirt.

When the officers tried to disarm him, he stabbed Christie in the torso, but his bullet-proof vest stopped the knife.

The officer’s wrist and finger were also cut.

During the struggle, the defendant also tried to grab Washington’s gun. Washington shot him in the abdomen.

Christie, a 23-year police veteran who has worked in the city for 15 years, was treated at a local hospital for cuts to his finger and wrist.

Washington, a 15-year veteran, was taken to the hospital for treatment of respiratory problems.

Both men were treated and released.

A third officer, Anthony Butler, who assisted in the arrest, was not injured.

The case is being handled by Assistant Prosecutor Andrew S. Fried.

Torres-Quiroz underwent surgery at an area hospital. He is now being held at the Monmouth County jail, in lieu of $735,000 bail.