Man Pointed Air Gun At Toms River Police Before Being Shot: Prosecutor

Toms River, NJ -- A Toms River man pointed an air gun at police officers before he was shot and wounded in Toms River late Thursday night, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato said Friday morning.

Timothy J. Sauers, 29, of Hightstown Drive in Toms River, is facing three weapons charges in the wake of the incident, which authorities say began at 11:32 p.m. Thursday.

Police and the prosecutor's office said the preliminary details of the event are that Toms River police officers patroling the area of Cedar Drive and Haines Road -- an area known to residents as Brown's Woods -- approached a suspicious vehicle in the area and made contact with Sauers.

"During the interaction the man was observed to be in possession of a handgun which he pointed at Toms River police officers," prosecutor's office spokesman Al Della Fave said. "This encounter resulted in TRPD officers firing upon the suspect."

Police and the prosecutor's office said Sauers then fled, jumping over a cement bulkhead at the end of Cedar Drive. Sauers, who apparently was wounded by the police gunfire, was found an hour later by Tactical Response Officers, authorities said, and medical assistance was immediately administered. Sauers was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and is expected to survive, Della Fave said.

The criminal complaint against Sauers outlines the initial charges against him as follows:

• "did knowingly have in his possession an air gun, spring gun, or pistol, without first having obtained a permit to carry the same;
• "did knowingly, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, point a firearm at or in the direction of another;"
• "did possess a firearm, with the purpose to use it unlawfully against the person or property of another."

Bail for Sauers has been set at $500,000, cash only, by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels, according to the complaint.

Della Fave said the investigation is being led by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI Unit, and with the full cooperation of the Toms River Police Department.

Anyone who has any information in the incident is asked to contact Detective John Murphy of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 929-2027 extension 2422.

Della Fave said the prosecutor's office would provide further details as they become available and that further charges may be filed against Sauers.

"This shooting is in no way related to the Dallas shootings," Della Fave said, referring to the shootings overnight in Dallas that killed five police officers and injured seven. Authorities in Dallas say snipers opened fire on police officers during a protest in Dallas over the shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota on Wednesday night that killed two black men during traffic stops. Authorities also have said at least one suspect in the shootings said the police officers were deliberately targeted.

Brown's Woods, the Toms River-owned property bounded by Haines Road and Cedar Drive, has been the focus of increased patrols by the Toms River police department in the wake of several crimes and drug overdoses in the last year. Toms River officials passed an ordinance in May banning parking overnight on Cedar Drive, and Police Chief Mitch Little said at the time the parking ban -- from dusk to 8 a.m. daily -- mirrors the parking bans at other township parks.

Brown's Woods also was the reported destination of a Pine Beach man whose proximity to Washington Street Elementary School set off a lockdown in March after students reported seeing the man near the school.

Timothy J. Sauers photo via Ocean County Prosecutor's Office