A police officer was injured on Monday afternoon after being shot by a suspect during an encounter at a North Jersey home, authorities said.
The shooting between the individual and officers from the Montclair Police Department happened at a residence on Forest Street in Montclair, according to a statement released by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. Officials did not say what time the incident occurred.
The person fired a gun and struck one of the officers, officials said. Police then returned gunfire and struck the shooter, prosecutors said.
The officer and shooter are both being treated at University Hospital in Newark for injuries not considered life-threatening, officials said. Their identities have not been released.
Sean Ruff, 62, who lives across the street, was sitting on his porch at around 1:30 p.m. when police arrived at the home. He told NJ Advance Media he saw a police officer enter as other officers stood outside. Moments later, the officer ran back outside with blood dripping from his arm and the other officers went inside and dragged out a woman who was covered in blood, Ruff said.
“I heard three shots. Boom! Boom! Boom!,” he said.
Ruff said he believes the woman has lived at the residence for about four months.
A resident of Forest Street, Carol Zakor, said she looked out her window on Monday afternoon and saw “a bunch of cop cars” in the aftermath of the shooting.
Zakor said she saw a woman lying on a stretcher who was screaming incoherently and a young boy who was sitting in a patrol car.
Another woman, Marilyn Sprague, said she was standing about 10 feet away from the house when she suddenly heard guns going off and voices yelling “shots fired.”
“It’s crazy when something like this happens in your community,” Sprague said. “You think you’re safe and all of a sudden, you’re not safe anymore.”
Gov. Phil Murphy posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the shooting.
“Tammy and I are praying for the officer in Montclair who was shot earlier today,” Murphy said. “Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.”
The location of the shooting is just blocks away from Montclair High School. Township police issued a statement saying that there was no potential threat to the school. The Renaissance Middle School, Montclair Cooperative School and Immaculate Conception High School are also nearby the scene.
An investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is ongoing.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached atnfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
