Officer shot at suspect during chase that ended in cemetery, police say

Police are investigating a pursuit that ended in a Piscataway cemetery when an officer, who fired a single shot at a suspect, was struck by a vehicle.

Authorities say a Piscataway police officer was struck by a car and also "fired a single shot at the suspect, who was apprehended with the use of a conducted energy device."

According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, the pursuit began at 11:18 a.m. when the suspect, driving a 2002 Honda Accord, allegedly ran a red light in New Brunswick and fled when a Rutgers University Police Department officer attempted pull him over. The Rutgers officer broke off the pursuit when the driver fled. At that point, Piscataway police saw the car on Hoes Lane, according to authorities. Police attempted a motor vehicle stop, but the driver made a turn into Resurrection Cemetery.

The Prosecutor's Office said the suspect led officers through the cemetery, circling several headstones near a funeral service. Eventually, authorities said, the suspect's vehicle "became mired in the soil."

The police officer was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital were he was treated for an "unspecified injury" and later released. Police say his name is being withheld as the investigation continues. The identity of the suspect - who was also treated at a local hospital for a minor injury - is also being withheld since police have not yet filed charges, police explained.

"The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General was notified immediately of the incident, in accordance with the state’s use-of-force guidelines," police said.

No one was hit by the shot that the officer fired, police said.

Police are continuing the investigation and ask that anyone with information call Detective Craig Marchak of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3300.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.