Suspect Shoots Woodbridge Police And NYPD Officer At Raritan Hotel

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A Woodbridge Police officer and an NYPD officer were both shot early Thursday morning at Royal Albert's Palace banquet hall in Woodbridge, said New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin.

Both officers survived the shooting and are currently recovering in a hospital. They were shot while attempting to locate a suspect in a New York City homicide, said the AG.

The suspect was shot and killed at the scene. The identity of the suspect was not yet released.

The identities of the two officers is not being released at this time, said Platkin.

"Two members of our law enforcement community — one from the Woodbridge Police Department and one from the New York City Police Department — are recovering from injuries this morning after being shot overnight in the line of duty while attempting to locate a suspect in a homicide," said Platkin Thursday morning.

"We are praying for them as they begin their road to recovery," said the AG.

The homicide happened in New York City. Platkin confirmed that police in New Jersey got a hit off a car wanted in that homicide using a license plate-reading camera. He declined to answer where that camera is located.

Police tracked the car to Royal Albert's Palace, a large banquet hall attached to the Raritan Hotel on King Georges Post Road in Woodbridge. There, the girlfriend of the suspect got into a confrontation with responding officers, and her boyfriend came out of the building shooting, NBC reported.

He was shot and killed by police officers.

"ALPR (automated license plate reader) technology was able to identify the person of interest near the Royal Albert Palace," said the Attorney General.

Platkin praised the use of license-plate readers, which police have been installing across New Jersey, particularly in the North Jersey area outside New York.

"We know crime doesn't stop at the Hudson River," he said. "ALPR technology identified the individual, and this (incident) underscores how important ALPR technology is."

"This incident is another reminder that our law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to keep our communities safe," Platkin continued. "As the state’s top law enforcement officer, I am resolute in working with our law enforcement partners to complete a thorough and complete investigation and to do everything in my power to prevent this kind of violence against law enforcement in the future."