Officer shoots, injures man during investigation in Rumson, N.J., authorities say

RUMSON, N.J. — A police officer shot and injured a man in Rumson on Friday. The Monmouth County prosecutor’s office is now investigating.

The prosecutor’s office says the shooting happened shortly before 5 a.m. near Rumson Road and Avenue of the Two Rivers, where many multimillion dollar homes are gated or set off the roadway. Investigators say several police departments, including Fair Haven and Rumson, were responding to the scene after reports of a suspected burglary.

During that investigation, the prosecutor’s office says a Fair Haven police officer encountered two people in a moving car. That officer, they say, fired a weapon, striking one of the occupants of the car. That individual, a 27-year-old man from Newark, was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Neighbors believe the attempted burglary may have involved suspects looking for a key fob, but investigators are asking the public not to jump to conclusions.

“We have become aware of a degree of misinformation about this incident that has been circulating on social media and online, and we urge the public and the media to avoid speculation until this investigation has determined the relevant facts with certainty,” County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a statement. “I have every confidence that the detectives from our Professional Responsibility Unit and Major Crimes Bureau will continue to investigate this incident in a meticulous and objective manner.  More information about this incident will be released as it becomes available.”

The prosecutor’s office said the officer who fired his weapon was not injured, but he was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.

Local Republican lawmakers representing the area releasing a statement urging the fast-tracking of legislation to address car thefts in New Jersey.

The incident remains under investigation.