Teh One Who Knocks
01-01-2012, 06:36 PM
By Bob Considine/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK — A 17-year-old who attempted to carjack an off-duty Newark police officer early today died after a getaway car in which he and at others were riding crashed a short distance from the scene, authorities said.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio said in a statment that the off-duty officer was confronted at about 5:15 a.m. along the 100-block of Kerrigan Boulevard in the Valisburg section of the city by an armed male, later identified as Vincent Owens of Newark.
The officer and Owens exchanged gunshots, the statement said. Owens was shot by the unidentified officer, according to Murray and DeMaio, and got into a waiting stolen vehicle which served as a getaway car.
Owens and the others in the vehicle fled the scene, but the car crashed and Owens was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to University Hospital and pronounced dead at 7:30 a.m., the statement said.
It was not immediately clear whether Ownes died from the gunshot wounds or the car crash.
The officer was also taken to University Hospital, where he was treated for shock.
The other participants in the getaway car fled the scene on foot, although a gun was found inside the vehicle. The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force, Professional Standards Bureau and the Newark Police Internal Affairs Bureau.
It was not known how many others were in the vehicle besides Owens.
Today's incident was the second in December in which an off-duty Newark police officer was involved in a carjacking attempt and opened fire on his assailants. On Dec. 10, an unidentified officer shot and seriously wounded a 20-year-old man after the man allegedly pointed a gun at the officer and attempted to carjack him.
James Stewart Jr., vice president of Lodge 12 of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the incidents show the need for more police on Newark’s streets.
"How many times is the mayor of this city going to travel out of state and tell everybody how great Newark is while there are armed groups of men traveling around this city looking for their next victim? It has to stop," Stewart said. "We don't have enough cops to keep up with the regular run of the mill calls for service, let alone pro-actively search out felony vehicles looking to bring harm to those we are here to protect."
NEWARK — A 17-year-old who attempted to carjack an off-duty Newark police officer early today died after a getaway car in which he and at others were riding crashed a short distance from the scene, authorities said.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio said in a statment that the off-duty officer was confronted at about 5:15 a.m. along the 100-block of Kerrigan Boulevard in the Valisburg section of the city by an armed male, later identified as Vincent Owens of Newark.
The officer and Owens exchanged gunshots, the statement said. Owens was shot by the unidentified officer, according to Murray and DeMaio, and got into a waiting stolen vehicle which served as a getaway car.
Owens and the others in the vehicle fled the scene, but the car crashed and Owens was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to University Hospital and pronounced dead at 7:30 a.m., the statement said.
It was not immediately clear whether Ownes died from the gunshot wounds or the car crash.
The officer was also taken to University Hospital, where he was treated for shock.
The other participants in the getaway car fled the scene on foot, although a gun was found inside the vehicle. The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force, Professional Standards Bureau and the Newark Police Internal Affairs Bureau.
It was not known how many others were in the vehicle besides Owens.
Today's incident was the second in December in which an off-duty Newark police officer was involved in a carjacking attempt and opened fire on his assailants. On Dec. 10, an unidentified officer shot and seriously wounded a 20-year-old man after the man allegedly pointed a gun at the officer and attempted to carjack him.
James Stewart Jr., vice president of Lodge 12 of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the incidents show the need for more police on Newark’s streets.
"How many times is the mayor of this city going to travel out of state and tell everybody how great Newark is while there are armed groups of men traveling around this city looking for their next victim? It has to stop," Stewart said. "We don't have enough cops to keep up with the regular run of the mill calls for service, let alone pro-actively search out felony vehicles looking to bring harm to those we are here to protect."