Man Shot In Holmdel Police Action Identified: Prosecutor

HOLMDEL, NJ ? An investigation into the non-fatal shooting of a man by a Holmdel police officer is underway at the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, authorities said.

Unofficial reports say two cars were carjacked in Holmdel Wednesday morning, leading to two crashes and a police action in which the man was shot and wounded.

The man who was shot is Justin Chacon, 33, with addresses in Brooklyn and Old Bridge, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Chacon was transported to a hospital for treatment, the prosecutor's office said. The prosecutor did not confirm where he was a patient or his condition.

"An investigation into his criminal activities during the time leading up to the shooting, which resulted in road closures and police activity in several local towns, remains ongoing," the prosecutor's office said.

The prosecutor's office is investigating the circumstances behind the shooting, a spokesman said.

The officer who shot Chacon was not identified by authorities. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Professional Responsibility Unit is handling the investigation of the police use of force, the prosecutor's office said.

The shooting took place at approximately 6:15 a.m. on Route 35 in Holmdel, near the intersection at Centerville Road, the prosecutor's office said, after a series of events that ended with a car crash on Route 35 there.

Route 35, which had been closed in both directions much of the day, reopened later in the afternoon, police said.

The prosecutor did not confirm television reports by News 12 New Jersey that, in a series of events, a man first stole a commercial van parked and running at Bayshore Community Medical Center in Holmdel, then crashed it on Route 35 in Middletown. The report said a person then carjacked an SUV of a person who stopped to help before crashing that in Holmdel, where it caught fire. According to sources for News 12 New Jersey, police first tried to stop the person with a Taser.

The investigation currently involves members of the Major Crimes Bureau, Monmouth County Serious Collison Analysis Response Team, and multiple municipal police departments.

Ben Goldstein, public relations direction for Hackensack-Meridian, said the healthcare facility is "working collaboratively with Holmdel Township police and law enforcement agencies involving an incident with a patient that was discharged from our medical center." He could not comment further because of the investigation, he said.

The circumstances behind the officer-involved shooting are under investigation "solely by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Professional Responsibility Unit," acting in accordance with New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Directive No. 2019-4, titled "Ensuring the Independent Investigation of Criminal Cases Involving Police Use of Force or In-Custody Deaths," according to the prosecutor's office.

The investigation is ongoing, and additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Anyone with information about this matter or Chacon?s activities is being asked to contact county Det. Joshua Rios or Det. Ryan Mahony, both reachable at 800-533-7443.