New Jersey’s Attorney General’s Office is investigating a deadly encounter involving law enforcement in Middle Township, with authorities saying there is no continuing threat to the public.

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A person died during an encounter with law enforcement in Middle Township on Friday, prompting a mandatory investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

The Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office announced the investigation Friday, Sept. 25, saying the scene had been secured and there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Authorities have not released the identity of the person who died, identified the officer or officers involved, or disclosed what led to the encounter.

Few Details Released About Deadly Encounter

“The Attorney General’s Office is actively investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred earlier today within Middle Township,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Officials described the incident as involving “the death of an individual during an encounter with law-enforcement officers.”

No additional information was released about whether the person died at the scene or was transported to a hospital.

Authorities also did not disclose whether any officers were injured.

“There is no ongoing threat to the public,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Members of the public were asked to stay away from areas where investigators were working as the scene was processed.

Attorney General Takes Control Of Investigation

The investigation is being handled by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office under a state law governing deaths that occur during encounters with law enforcement officers.

New Jersey law requires the Attorney General’s Office to independently investigate when someone dies during an encounter with an officer acting in an official capacity or while the person is in law-enforcement custody.

The requirement is designed to remove the involved local law-enforcement agency from control of the investigation into the death.

The results must eventually be presented to a grand jury, which reviews the evidence and determines whether criminal charges against any involved officer are warranted.

Identities And Circumstances Remain Unknown

As of the initial announcement, authorities had not said where in Middle Township the shooting occurred or what brought officers to the location.

They also did not disclose whether the person who died was armed, whether police had initially been responding to a call for service, how many officers were involved or how many shots were fired.

“No further details regarding the condition of those involved or the circumstances leading to the incident are available at this time,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Those unanswered questions are expected to become central to the investigation as authorities review evidence from the scene.

Investigations of fatal police encounters commonly include body-worn camera recordings, police radio transmissions, witness interviews, physical evidence and medical examiner findings.

State Investigation Now Underway

The case now moves outside the normal local investigative process and into the state’s independent review system for fatal law-enforcement encounters.

That process can take months before the Attorney General’s Office publicly releases its findings or presents the case to a state grand jury.