WEEHAWKEN, NJ – Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced that Ricky Rivera, a 20-year-old man from Paterson, has been charged by the Major Crimes Unit of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office after a confrontation with law enforcement last Tuesday.
Around 5 am, members of the Weehawken Police Department were conducting a routine patrol in a neighborhood recently affected by numerous auto thefts. Officers spotted a suspicious vehicle in a driveway on Regency Place.
While approaching the vehicle, Rivera allegedly attempted to escape, hitting an officer in the process and leading to another officer discharging his weapon.
Shortly after, Rivera reportedly crashed the vehicle into a parked Port Authority Police Department vehicle before eventually coming to a stop. He was discovered with a gunshot wound and received treatment at the Jersey City Medical Center. The officer who was struck received medical care for non-life-threatening injuries.
Upon further investigation, it was found that the vehicle driven by Rivera was reported as stolen from West New York last Friday. Rivera is now detained at the Hudson County Correctional Facility, awaiting his first court appearance.