Man Killed In Shootout With Cranford Police On Garden State Parkway ID'd

CRANFORD, NJ — The identity of the driver of a stolen car killed in a shootout with Cranford Police on the Garden State Parkway on Dec. 28, 2023, was released by authorities.

The Attorney General’s Office identified the driver as Kevin Harlfinger, 40, of Perth Amboy.

According to the preliminary investigation, officers from the Cranford Police Department were chasing a stolen vehicle when it crashed in the area of a southbound exit on the Garden State Parkway.

After the crash, the driver of the vehicle, Harlfinger, exchanged gunfire with Cranford Police Officers Christopher Folinusz and Ryan McSharry, said authorities.

Harlfinger was pronounced dead at the scene at around 12:04 a.m., Dec. 29, 2023. A gun was recovered near Harlfinger, said authorities.

Officer Folinusz sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound, was treated at a hospital, and later released.

A 2019 law, N.J.S. § 52:17B-107(a)(2), requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.

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