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Kevin Harlfinger, 40, of Perth Amboy comes through the window firing after the work van smashes head-on into the end of the guardrail at Exit 131 of the southbound Parkway in Woodbridge during a high-speed police pursuit less than two months ago, a collection of videos released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office shows.
Harlfinger, in a hoodie and knit hat, begins climbing out the window and continues firing -- even while he’s upside-down.
Cranford Police Officers Christopher Folinusz and Officer Ryan McSharry return fire, mortally wounding Harlfinger.
He was pronounced dead just a few minutes after the stroke of midnight on Dec. 29, 2023, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
The illegally-owned gun that Harlfinger used was recovered, the attorney general said.
Folinusz, who was wounded, was treated at a local hospital, he said.
Police dashboard and body camera video, as well as two radio calls, were shared with Harlfinger’s loved ones before being released to the public on Thursday, Feb. 15, Platkin said.
You can see exactly what happened in this up-close dashcam video: Woodbridge-Harlfinger3 (New Jersey AG)
State law and his own guidelines require his office to review deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what the circumstances are.
The guidelines guarantee that the investigation is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner," removing politics or personal agendas, the attorney general has said.
Once the investigation by his Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) team is completed, the results will be presented to the grand jury “in a neutral, objective manner, and with appropriate transparency,” he said.
The panel will then render a ruling on whether the incident was handled appropriately.
CLIDK HERE FOR THE FULL RECORDINGS: Woodbridge-Harlfinger (New Jersey AG)
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