Officer Stabbed In Keansburg Robbery Undergoes 2nd Surgery

KEANSBURG, NJ — The officer who was stabbed last Thursday in this standoff and attempted robbery at a Keansburg pharmacy — where the suspect was ultimately shot and killed by police — underwent his second surgery Monday morning, according to Keansburg Mayor George Hoff.

The officer will not be identified, citing his privacy, but he was stabbed by the robbery suspect multiple times in his left arm during Thursday's dramatic incident, said the mayor.

"It is not a life-threatening injury," said Hoff. "But he was stabbed in his wrist, and his left elbow was shattered. He needed an eight- to nine-hour surgery on Saturday and just went in for his second surgery Monday morning. We are all thinking of him and I am waiting to hear for an update today on how the second surgery went."

The incident began at 3:21 Thursday afternoon, when a man tried to rob the Keansburg Pharmacy on Main Street, said police. Multiple Keansburg police responded, and encountered a hostage situation, said Acting State Attorney General Andrew Bruck.

One officer was stabbed by the suspect, said the AG. Multiple officers fired their service weapons, striking the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The identity of the suspect has also not been released by the state Attorney General, which has taken over the investigation as is required by law anytime someone in New Jersey is killed by law enforcement.

Mayor Hoff said he was "not sure" if the suspect is a Keansburg resident.

He also said Keansburg Pharmacy is reopened for business as usual Monday.

He said the injured officer is a 10-year veteran of the Keansburg police force and that his parents flew up from Florida to be by his bedside in the hospital, although visitation is extremely limited due to the hospital's COVID rules. Immediately after the incident Thursday, the injured officer was first taken to Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel but was moved to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a trauma center.

"Everyone in the Keansburg Police Department is very concerned about him," said Mayor Hoff. "The people of our town are very pleased with the job the officers did and the town and the Council back the Keansburg Police Department one hundred percent."

Read the original Patch report on the Keansburg Pharmacy Jan. 6 attempted robbery and hostage standoff: Officer Stabbed, Suspect Killed In Keansburg Pharmacy Incident

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