A man who was shot by police in Holmdel yesterday has been charged with a number of violent crimes that took place leading up to his arrest after he fled a hospital in a stolen vehicle.
Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said that Justin F. Chacon, 33, with addresses in Old Bridge and Brooklyn, is charged with three counts of first-degree Carjacking and single counts of third-degree Motor Vehicle Theft, third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and third-degree Resisting Arrest.
An investigation led by members of the county’s Major Crimes Bureau in concert with the Holmdel Township and Middletown Township police departments has determined that shortly after 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26, Holmdel police 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, Middletown police officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision that had taken place in the area of Route 35 and Navesink River Road.
They discovered that Chacon crashed the stolen van into the highway’s center median and then robbed an SUV from a bystander, who had pulled over in an attempt to offer assistance.
Just before 6:15 a.m. , Holmdel police officers responded to a report of a second collision on the northbound lanes of Route 35 near the intersection with Centerville Road.
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 exiting the SUV, Chacon was brandishing a pair of wire-cutting pliers, according to police.
Chacon attempted to enter two vehicles stopped on the highway, but he was rebuffed by the drivers.
Responding officers found Chacon walking in traffic and claim they 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 what authorities described as “a subsequent prolonged physical struggle with the officers,” Chacon was taken into custody.
He was subsequently 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 call either Monmouth County Prosecutor Office (MCPO) Detective Joshua Rios or Detective Ryan Mahony, at 800-533-7443.
The circumstances behind the officer-involved shooting remain under investigation solely by the MCPO 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.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.