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Van strike, shots fired
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was struck by a van during a targeted vehicle stop in Manahawkin, Stafford Township, New Jersey, and the agent opened fire as the suspect fled on Route 72 near Mermaid Drive around 9:30 a.m. Monday.
ICE identified the person it was trying to arrest as Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, an immigrant from Peru, and said he was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in January.
Stafford Township police said the agent discharged his firearm at the vehicle, “reportedly striking it,” and that the suspect fled and “has not been located at this time.”
Witness Leann described the moment she saw the officer hit: “I saw the officer pretty much do a pirouette. He was hit and he fell to the ground.”
Conflicting details, same timeline
Stafford Township police said they were not involved in the initial ICE operation and managed traffic and secured the scene before the FBI took over the investigation, while NBC News reported the Ocean County Prosecutors Office began a preliminary investigation.
ICE said the driver “weaponized his vehicle and struck an officer resulting in the officer discharging his weapon,” and multiple outlets tied the gunfire to the vehicle strike during the pursuit.
ABC7 New York quoted an ICE spokesperson saying the incident was a targeted vehicle stop to arrest Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, and that he “was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge on January 30, 2026.”
CNN reported that it was unclear whether Castillo-Ormeno was in the vehicle and that the agent injured was taken to a hospital, while the driver “has not been located, ICE said.”
Investigation and public safety
Stafford Township police said there is “no reason to believe there is any concern for the public’s safety,” while also stating the agent reportedly sustained unknown injuries and it was unknown whether the motorist was hurt.
“The suspect in the van got away PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio)— Law enforcement officers in Ocean County, New Jersey, are looking for the driver of a van after they allegedly struck an ICE agent who was attempting to make an arrest Monday morning”
The incident prompted a broad law-enforcement response, with News 12 saying Route 72 reopened just before 2 p.m. and NBC News reporting the road was closed in both directions between Barnacle Drive and Breakers Drive as authorities searched for the van and driver.
ICE spokespersons told News 12 that an immigration judge ordered Castillo-Ormeno to leave the country back in January, and UPI and other outlets said the suspect has not been located at this time.
The Guardian linked the case to a wider policy backdrop, noting that it came less than a week after Donald Trump signed a new law giving ICE and other agencies within the US Department of Homeland Security roughly $70bn in additional funding for a mass deportation campaign.
