Attorney General to Take Over Investigation of Brick Shooting

The Attorney General’s Shooting Response Team will take over the investigation of a Delanco man who was shot by New Jersey state troopers early Wednesday morning following a chase across the width of the state.

No charges have been filed against the man who was shot, identified as 30-year-old Michael Zaun of Delanco, Burlington County.

The chase leading up to the shooting began around 12:30 a.m., when state troopers tried to stop a white Nissan Pathfinder after observing a moving violation on Rt. 29 in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, police said.

The driver, later identified as Zaun, attempted to elude troopers and continued onto I-195 eastbound, eventually exiting the highway and ending up on local streets in Brick, according to a prepared statement from the state police.

Troopers reported that Zaun fired a gun during the vehicle pursuit, which ended on Carolina Avenue, off Sally Ike Road in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township.

At that point, police say, Zaun pulled the SUV onto the front lawn of a residential home and ran from the vehicle to the front door of the house, disregarding commands from the troopers.

One trooper fired at Zaun, who was struck and injured, according to State Police Lt. Stephen Jones.

Zaun was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, where he is being treated for serious injuries that are not considered life-threatening.  None of the three troopers involved in the incident were injured.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Zaun’s vehicle had not yet been searched, though it had been towed to a state police garage in Hamilton. No gun had been recovered, according to an afternoon statement from Stephen J. Taylor of the state Attorney General's office.

The chase that ended in his being shot is suspected to be Zaun's second within a day. Police say Zaun’s vehicle was involved in a pursuit in Bucks County, Pa. earlier in the evening, but the driver was not apprehended during that incident.

The investigation is now in the hands of the state Attorney General’s Shooting Response Team, which is made up of deputy attorneys general, detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice and detectives of the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit.

That team is dispatched to the scene to handle investigations of shootings involving state law enforcement officers or county SWAT teams.

The troopers involved in the shooting will not be identified publicly, state police said. Troopers involved in shooting incidents are normally placed on administrative leave on a temporary basis after such an incident, pending an investigation.