
Toms River, NJ motel standoff: Cops say they stopped man as he cut his own throat
TOMS RIVER — Police barged into a motel room to stop a man from potentially killing himself during a stand-off on Thursday afternoon.
Officers went to the Motel 6 along the eastbound lanes of Route 37 around 10:20 a.m. for a report of a man barricaded in a room with a knife, according to Toms River police spokeswoman Jillian Messina.
Negotiations with the man were unsuccessful and he began to cut his throat, according to Messina.
The man fought with officers who forced their way into the room in order to stop him from hurting himself, according to Messina. He was taken into custody and transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he had surgery. He was listed in critical but stable condition as of Thursday night.
An example of NJ's mental health crisis
No charges have been filed in the case. Messina did not disclose the identity of the man.
"These types of calls are unfortunately more and more common and particularly dangerous to all involved," Toms River police Chief Mitch Little said in a statement. "I would like to commend all the officers for their outstanding job in preventing a tragedy, as well as their composure and professionalism during this extremely dangerous incident."
If you feel you or someone you know may be in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 1-800-273-TALK, or the NJ Hopeline, 1-855-654-6735
Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com
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