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Tremaine Hadden, 30, of Bridgeton, was one of three men who opened fire on NJSP Detective Richard Hershey as he investigated a home invasion at the Harding Woods mobile home park in the Salem County town of Pittsgrove on April 25, 2020.
Five women had been accused of forcing their way into a trailer and assaulting the owner – breaking a rib and lacerating a lung -- while stealing her iPhone.
Sometime after Hershey arrived, a hostile group of 15 people connected to the female suspects pulled up in a caravan of five vehicles, authorities said.
Hershey identified himself as a law enforcement officer, after which Hadden and two other men -- Najzeir “Naz” Hutchings and Kareen "Kai" Warner Jr. -- sprayed bullets from two vehicles, wounding him in the hip.
"Hadden shot at Detective Hershey numerous times from one vehicle," state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said, "while Hutchings and Warner shot at him from another vehicle.
"Several of the bullets struck occupied homes in the vicinity," the attorney general noted.
"Testimony from a ballistics expert demonstrated that over a dozen shots were fired at Detective Hershey, including approximately eleven fired by Hadden alone," Platkin said.
The detective fired back, forcing the assailants to flee, he said.
Hershey, who underwent surgery at Cooper University Hospital in Camden following the shooting, returned to duty and was subsequently named the NJSP’s 2020 Trooper of the Year for his dedication and bravery during the ambush.
Eight defendants were initially identified and captured by New Jersey State Police Fugitive and TEAMS units, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force and the ATF.
The Salem County Prosecutor’s Office charged the five women for the home invasion. State authorities charged the three men with the shooting.
Hutchings and Warner, who are both from Bridgeton, each pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in May.
Hadden went to trial and was convicted on May 30 of aggravated assault, conspiracy, rioting and various weapons offenses, which included illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
State Superior Court Judge John Eastlack, presiding at the Gloucester County Courthouse in Woodbury, sentenced Hadden on Tuesday, Sept. 12, to 37 years in state prison, nearly 28 of which he must serve before he'll be eligible for parole.
State Police Supt. Col. Patrick J. Callahan called the shooting "an attack on the very fabric of our society."
"Troopers are guardians of our safety," Callahan said, "and their sacrifices will always be met with the full force of the law.”
The investigation was conducted by Platkin's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, the Division of Criminal Justice, and New Jersey State Police -- specifically the Major Crime Unit South, Troop “A” Criminal Investigation Office, Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Cold Case Unit.
The arrests were made by the New Jersey State Police Fugitive and TEAMS units, assisted by members of the U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Erik Daab and Deputy Attorneys General Nicole Wise and Jennifer Davis, along with Trial Assistants Nathalie Kurzawa and Maureen Hitchens, DCJ Media Specialist Erika Neary, Deputy Attorney General Abigail R. Holmes, Chief of the OPIA Integrity Bureau Debra Conrad and OPIA Executive Director Thomas J. Eicher.
“The prison sentence given to this [convict] illustrates that my office will not tolerate violence against our law enforcement professionals as they attempt to do their jobs and protect the public,” Platkin said.
“Anyone who would brazenly shoot at an officer as he was identifying himself and giving verbal commands clearly has no respect for the law and those who enforce it," the attorney general added. "I remain grateful for Detective Hershey’s recovery and ongoing service to our great state.”
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