Man Killed By Police In Secaucus Identified

SECAUCUS, NJ — The man who was shot and killed by police Sunday night in a dramatic standoff in Harmon Cove has been identified as Anthony Rosso, 68, according to the Attorney General’s Shooting Response Task Force. The AG has taken over investigating the officer-involved fatal shooting that occurred on Sunday evening, Dec. 1, 2019, in Secaucus.

Harmon Cove residents who knew Rosso described him a friendly local handyman who they often could call for quick home repairs and painting jobs. They are mourning his death today.

Rosso was armed with a handgun when he died during the incident, said the attorney general's team.

At approximately 5:41 p.m. Sunday, Secaucus police responded to a 911 call made from a condo at the 300 block of Sea Isle Key in the Harmon Cove development. The caller reported a domestic incident with a shot fired.

When police got there, they say they encountered Rosso, who was outside the condo and was armed with a handgun. Rosso fired his gun and multiple police officers fired their weapons back, said the attorney general. In the standoff, Rosso was fatally wounded.

Which officer fired the fatal shot remains under investigation, said the AG. But it appears to have been a member of the Secaucus police department.

Emergency medical personnel responded, and Rosso was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:14 p.m. No one else was injured. Members of the Hudson County Regional SWAT Team also responded, arriving at the scene after the officer-involved gunfire.

Fellow Harmon Cove residents said they knew Rosso as a longtime Harmon Cove resident, who lived in the Sea Isle Key condo with his wife.

"I've lived here for 23 years and I've had Anthony in my home several times for remodeling work. He was always very chatty and personable," said one Harmon Cove resident. "He drove around Harmon Cove in a very identifiable white truck with an American flag on the side. He had a little black dog named Frankie, a black French terrier, that he just loved to pieces. He would put the dog in the truck with him and take him to all his jobs."

Residents who lived nearby said they could hear the gunshots being exchanged. There was no police chase through the woods. However, heavily armed police were running through the woods of Harmon Cove when they first got there, because it was unclear where the shooter initially was.

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