Police fatally shot a man who they say opened fire at them when they attempted to stop a vehicle in connection with suspected shoplifting in New Jersey. The incident happened on Mathews Drive near Pleasant View Avenue in Bloomingdale on Thursday morning.
Authorities say officers fired four shots into the windshield of an SUV after at least nine shots were fired into the front driver’s side window of a Riverdale police cruiser. Police say the SUV driver, later identified as 32-year-old Michael Rivera, was wanted in connection with a shoplifting incident at a Home Depot in neighboring Riverdale around 9:30 AM
Police had the vehicle stopped when the driver took off, and authorities say the driver nearly ran the officer over as his vehicle sped away. The SUV was then spotted in Bloomingdale, driving erratically and at high speeds on Hamburg Turnpike. Police say the driver turned into a residential neighborhood and ended up at a dead end on Mathews Drive, where the shots were fired.
Area residents said they couldn’t believe the chaos they were witnessing. “I saw him almost hit the police car,” witness Peggy Wanklin said. “He had to jump the curb to go around the police car, and then the suspect went straight down (the road). Police backed up and chased him, and 10 seconds later, 30 seconds later. It was over…” ABC7 New York