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Troopers were conducting a welfare check at the Cobmin Ridge Motel on Route 206 in Branchville, 10 or so miles from the Pennsylvania border, around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, they said.
Nicolas R. Martinez, 27, refused to leave a room he was staying in, according to a joint release from New Jersey State Police, the state Department of Law & Public Safety and the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office.
Negotiations lasted several hours, with Martinez at one point firing an air rifle in the direction of the NJSP Technical Emergency and Mission Specialist Unit, the release says.
Troopers finally forced their way in around 4 a.m.
Martinez, in turn, fired multiple rounds from the air rifle, hitting two of them, according to the release.
Airsoft guns are replica weapons designed to shoot recycled plastic ammunition at targets. Although not lethal, the projectiles can cause welts and other serious injuries, especially around the eyes.
The weapons look genuine: Some manufacturers reportedly use molds of the originals. Unless closely examined, they can look like the real thing.
At that point, of course, it could be too late, of course, because police don’t have the luxury of waiting to find out. That’s why New Jersey bans selling or openly carrying airsoft guns.
Martinez was seized without further incident and charged with two counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, making terroristic threats and weapons offenses.
Both injured troopers were expected to fully recover, State Police Superintendent Patrick J. Callahan said.
“Our troopers showed phenomenal restraint while taking this suspect into custody, which prevented a deadly tragedy, and they should be commended for that,” Callahan said.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin agreed. The heroes, he said, deserve "our unwavering support.”
A full investigation of the incident by the NJSP Major Crimes Unit, the state DCJ and the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office was continuing.
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