Incident leading to I-78 closure was not an attack on trooper, State Police say
Authorities have confirmed that an incident involving a smashed NJ State Police SUV window that led to hours of lane closures and a traffic nightmare on I-78 Saturday was not actually an attack on a trooper, NJ.com has reported.
A Honda Civic damaged in an accident on I-78
The incident, which also resulted in a lockdown at a nearby school in Hunterdon County, began as an investigation into a single-car crash. While troopers were attending to the crash involving a 2000 Honda Civic driven by Antonio Melendez, Jr., 29, of Phillipsburg, the rear window of a marked State Police Chevrolet Tahoe was “struck and shattered by an unknown object,” State Police said.
The area of the crash was searched for subjects immediately following the broken window, but no suspicious persons were located, according to State Police. No troopers were injured as a result of the incident. Melendez was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
Immediately following reports of the the shattered window of the police SUV, a first-responder had told New Jersey 101.5 of initial reports suggesting someone had shot at a police car, but State Police did not confirm that information. In addition, NJ.com reports that "a forensic examination found no bullet or shell casing, police said Monday."
Capt. Stephen Jones, a State Police spokesperson, told NJ.com that the cause of the shattered police window could have been the result of a rock hitting it.
"There was debris on the road and traffic passing at time of incident, so it could be as simple as a rock being kicked up by a passing truck tire," Jones told the publication.
Dan Alexander contributed to this report.
Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.
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