North Jersey Cop Who Shot Man In Stolen Car Won't Face Criminal Charges, AG Says

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark police officer will not face criminal charges after he shot a man in a stolen vehicle two years ago, state prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The non-fatal shooting took place at 8:34 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2024, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

Prosecutors said the encounter began when Newark police officers found a stolen Porsche Macan parked on Clinton Place near Hawthorne Avenue in Newark.

The officers got out of their marked patrol car and approached the only person in the Porsche – an adult male who was sitting in the front passenger seat. They ordered the man to get out of the car and handcuffed him, then took him back to their patrol vehicle.

Here’s what happened next, prosecutors said:

“While the two officers were at the police vehicle with the passenger, an individual exited an adjacent convenience store, entered the Porsche through the open passenger side front door, and moved into the driver’s seat. The officers left the handcuffed passenger next to the patrol vehicle and immediately returned to the Porsche. The officers attempted to remove the individual from the driver’s seat. [One of the officers] then quickly returned to the patrol vehicle, placed the passenger in its back seat, and ran back to the front driver’s side of the Porsche.”

The shooting took place shortly afterwards, prosecutors said:

“There, [the officer’s] partner was engaged in a struggle with the driver, who had placed the vehicle into gear and reversed. [The officer’s] partner, who was still trying to gain control of the vehicle and the driver, moved backward with the reversing vehicle. As [the officer] yelled ‘Back Up!’ multiple times, his partner disengaged from the vehicle and the driver. Nearly simultaneously, the Porsche accelerated forward and [the officer] discharged two rounds from his duty firearm, striking the driver. The vehicle struck the patrol car and stopped momentarily; it then accelerated forward at a high rate of speed. The Porsche crossed the intersection and entered the sidewalk area before it crashed into a brick building and careened into two parked, unoccupied civilian vehicles.”

Officers provided medical aid to the driver, who was transported to University Hospital and treated for life-threatening injuries.

Investigators examining the shooting reviewed body-worn camera video, surveillance video footage, police radio transmissions, medical records and witness interviews.

This evidence was presented to a state grand jury, which voted “no bill” on Oct. 19, ruling that no criminal charges should be filed against the officer who fired the shots.

Video footage of the shooting can be seen online here. WARNING: Video contains violent footage, viewer discretion is advised.

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