Carjacking Charges For Man Shot By Holmdel Police

FREEHOLD, NJ – The man shot by a Holmdel police officer after a series of violent incidents Wednesday has been charged with carjacking and car theft, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.

Justin F. Chacon, 33, engaged police in a "prolonged physical struggle" after the shooting took place, authorities said, as they released more details of the events leading up to his arrest.

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said Chacon, who has addresses in Old Bridge and Brooklyn, is charged with:

• Three counts of first-degree carjacking
• Single counts of third-degree motor vehicle theft
• Third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
• Third-degree resisting arrest.

Chacon is now hospitalized and in stable condition, the prosecutor's office said.

Early Wednesday morning, the scene on Route 35 in Holmdel was unlike anything usually seen in the township. The road was closed in both directions for several hours during and after the incidents that led to Chacon's arrest.

Traffic was stopped in Holmdel after the crash of a carjacked SUV. Earlier that morning, a stolen van was crashed on Route 35 in Middletown, affecting traffic there.

Chacon was walking in traffic on Route 35 after the SUV crash, "brandishing" wire-cutting pliers, authorities said, and attempted to enter two other cars, they said.

An investigation led by members of the Major Crimes Bureau of the prosecutor's office and by the Holmdel and Middletown township police departments has determined this series of events, as presented in a news release from the prosecutor's office:

Shortly after 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, members of the Holmdel Township Police Department responded to Bayshore Medical Center on a report of a commercial delivery vehicle being stolen out of the hospital parking lot by an adult male later identified as Chacon.

A short while later, members of the Middletown Township Police Department responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision that had taken place in the area of Route 35 and Navesink River Road.

There it was discovered that Chacon had crashed the stolen commercial delivery vehicle into the highway’s center median and then stole an SUV from a bystander who had pulled over and attempted to offer assistance.

Then, just before 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, members of the Holmdel Township Police Department responded to the northbound lanes of Route 35 near the intersection with Centerville Road on a report of a second collision.

It was later determined that Chacon had collided with a garbage truck, causing the stolen SUV he was driving to leave the roadway, strike a telephone pole, and burst into flames.

After leaving the SUV, while "brandishing" a pair of wire-cutting pliers, Chacon then attempted to enter a pair of additional vehicles parked on the highway, but was rebuffed by the drivers of each.

The responding officers found Chacon walking in traffic and ordered him to drop the weapon, but he disregarded the order and began advancing in their direction. One of the officers then fired a round from his service weapon, striking Chacon.

Following a "subsequent prolonged physical struggle" with the officers, Chacon was taken into custody. He was then transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

The investigation into Chacon’s activities remains ongoing, and anyone with information about them is being asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Det. Joshua Rios or Det. Ryan Mahony, both reachable at 800-533-7443.

The circumstances behind the officer-involved shooting remain under investigation solely by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Professional Responsibility Unit, acting in accordance with New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Directive No. 2019-4, titled "Ensuring the Independent Investigation of Criminal Cases Involving Police Use of Force or In-Custody Deaths."

This case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner, director of the Major Crimes Bureau. Information on Chacon’s legal representation was not immediately available.

Convictions on first-degree crimes are commonly punishable by terms of 10 to 20 years in state prison.