Man Charged In Shooting That Sparked Townwide Shelter-In-Place In Monmouth County

ALLENTOWN, NJ — An Allentown man has been charged with attempted murder in a shooting that led authorities to issue a town-wide shelter-in-place order on New Year's Eve, authorities said Wednesday.

Daniel Williams, 52, was arrested Tuesday night after a wide search by authorities for several hours. He has been charged with attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.

The endangering charge stems from a child being present in the home at the time of the shooting, the prosecutor's office said. The age of the child was not released.

Read more: Man Wanted In Connection With Allentown Shooting: Prosecutor

The shooting was reported at 12:51 p.m. Tuesday and Allentown police along with multiple law enforcement agencies responded to Johnson Drive.

There they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound that was not believed to be life-threatening, the prosecutor's office said. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the prosecutor's office said.

Authorities investigating determined Williams was responsible for the shooting, and initially a shelter-in-place was ordered for the entire borough. The shelter-in-place was lifted about 6 p.m., and Williams' arrest was announced about 7:15 p.m.

Williams is being held at the Monmouth County jail pending his first appearance in Monmouth County Superior Court, authorities said.

Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago and Allentown Police Chief Daniel Panckeri commended the cooperation of local residents during the shelter-in-place.

"The goal of this was simply to ensure that the suspect was apprehended swiftly and without any unnecessary danger to anyone in the area. Detectives ensured that this goal was achieved," authorities said.