State Trooper Fatally Shoots Man in Moonachie, Attorney General Investigating

A New Jersey State Police trooper fatally shot a man in Moonachie on Wednesday afternoon, and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office is investigating the shooting.

The shooting happened at about 5:15 p.m. on Gotham Parkway, near the intersection with West Commercial Avenue, according to preliminary information from the Attorney General's Office. The man, described by officials as an adult male civilian, was fatally wounded. Officials have not released his name, and the Attorney General's Office has not named the trooper involved.

Local television reports from the scene said a vehicle had crashed into a building on West Commercial Avenue after the shooting, and that two troopers were evaluated but were not believed to be injured.

What officials have said

"The circumstances surrounding the encounter are under investigation, which is ongoing," the Attorney General's Office said in a statement. The office said no further information is being released at this time.

A State Police spokesperson referred questions to the Attorney General's Office, which by law leads the investigation. West Commercial Avenue was closed off as of 6:30 p.m., and investigators at the scene did not give information to reporters who gathered there.

Moonachie Police Chief Richard Behrens said early Wednesday evening that his officers were on the scene of an incident and could not immediately provide information. Early reports suggested the incident might have started in a neighboring town, but Carlstadt Police Chief Thomas Cox told NorthJersey.com that the incident all occurred in Moonachie.

Moonachie is a small borough in Bergen County, and the shooting happened in a commercial section of the borough just north of the Meadowlands.

How the investigation works

A 2019 state law, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2), requires the Attorney General's Office to investigate a death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity, or while the person is in custody.

When that investigation is complete, the case must be presented to a grand jury, which decides whether the evidence supports an indictment against the officer or officers involved.

Because the Attorney General's Office runs the investigation, the first full account of what led to the shooting is likely to come from that office. Officials have not said what brought the trooper and the man into contact, whether the man was armed, or how many shots were fired.

What happens next

For now, the road closure and the investigation are the only confirmed developments. The Attorney General's Office has not said when the man's name or the trooper's name will be released, and it has not given a timeline for the grand jury presentation.