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Nearly 80 police from several other towns converged on the city – among them, officers from Hackensack, Cliffside Park, Fort Lee and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office -- but things eventually calmed down.
City police responding to an 11:30 p.m. disturbance call found about 60 people standing in the middle of the street on Palisade Place, Deputy Police Chief Gregory Halstead said.
There was “no indication at this time that the disturbance was in any way related to recent rallies and marches,” he emphasized.
As the officers got out of their cars to investigate, “they were met with hostility,” as the crowd “began throwing rocks and other objects in their direction,” the deputy chief said.
Backup units were attacked, as well, he said.
No arrests were made, and the crowd eventually began to disperse.
That’s when a report of three to four shots fired came in from nearby Mattlage Place.
“Officers responded and encountered another smaller group, which may have splintered off the group which we initially responded to,” Halstead said.
The shooter fired in a northerly direction, the deputy chief said, adding that it “does not appear at this time that the police officers were the intended target of the gunfire and there were no reported injuries.”
The investigation is “active and fluid,” Halstead said Friday.
He thanked the various other Bergen County police departments that responded as backups.
***UPDATE: Shots were again fired on Mattlage Place just after 2 p.m. Friday.*** CHECK BACK FOR MORE DETAILS
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