Attorney General’s Office Investigating Fatal Police-Involved Shooting in Lacey Township, N.J. 

TRENTON — The Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is investigating a fatal shooting by a police officer that occurred Monday, March 16, 2026, in the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Township, New Jersey. One woman was fatally injured. Her identity is not being released at this time.

According to the preliminary investigation, Lacey Township police officers were dispatched to a residence on Hemlock Drive in Lanoka Harbor shortly after 2:00 a.m., in response to a 911 call reporting a medical event. During an encounter with the civilian-caller outside the home at approximately 2:44 a.m., one officer fired his service weapon, striking the woman. She was subsequently pronounced deceased. Law enforcement recovered a knife at the scene outside of the home.

The investigation is ongoing, and no further information is being released at this time.

N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2) requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.