New York suspect dies during police vehicle stop in Woodbridge, New Jersey

WOODBRIDGE – The Attorney General’s Office is investigating after a man apparently shot himself in the pickup truck he was driving after Woodbridge police conducted a vehicle stop at a gas station on Route 9 La last week.

The man’s name has not yet been released by the attorney general’s office.

A preliminary investigation indicates that Woodbridge police were conducting a vehicle stop at a gas station on Route 9 northbound around 6:33 p.m. on June 14. Officers learned the man driving the van, who was the only person in the vehicle, had an active National Crime Information System. The center’s mandate in connection with a criminal investigation of Nassau County, New York, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

The officers asked the man to get out of the van, but he refused and instead moved into the rear compartment of the van, behind a curtain, where the officers could not see him. Officers broke the van’s windows and used pepper spray to try to get the man out of the vehicle, the attorney general’s office said.

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Less than 15 minutes later, officers heard a loud noise that sounded like fireworks and members of the Woodbridge Police Department Tactical Team, Perth Amboy Police Department and EMS personnel responded at the scene, the attorney general’s office said.

The man was later found in the van, apparently dead from a gunshot wound, around 8:30 p.m. A shotgun, not belonging to the police, was found inside the vehicle. Preliminary information indicates no law enforcement officer fired his weapon, the attorney general’s office said.

An investigation into the circumstances of the man’s death is underway. No additional information is being released at this time.

Under state law, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is required to conduct investigations into the death of a person that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in his or her capacity official or while the person is in police custody.

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Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.