A man who was shot on Thursday during an interaction with Bayonne police has now been arrested.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, her office’s Major Crimes Unit has charged 35-year-old Kelvin Oritz in connection with an incident that began in Bayonne and ended in Jersey City’s Greenville neighborhood.
Just after 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, the Bayonne Police Department received a report of a theft from a gas station on 53rd Street near Avenue E. Responding officers found a “person of interest” – later identified as Ortiz – in a Burger King parking lot two blocks away at Broadway and 54th Street.
As police approached, Ortiz fled in his car, striking two police cars and an unoccupied private automobile. During the incident, one police officer fired his weapon.
A short time later, Ortiz was found in the area of Linden Avenue and Scott Street in Jersey City.
Radio reports indicated that Ortiz, who was reportedly shot in the face, was found “conscious, alert and breathing.”
Perhaps reflecting the seriousness of the incident, officers at the scene in Jersey City were told “make sure you have your body cameras on.”
Ortiz was taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where he is currently in custody with injuries that are not considered life threatening.
Oritz is charged with Eluding, four counts of Aggravated Assault (Attempt to Cause Serious Bodily Injury), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (vehicle), and Possession of a
Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (vehicle).
In accordance with guidelines, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General was notified. The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Shooting Response Team and Major Crimes Unit are actively investigating this matter.
It remains unknown whether Suarez has established if Ortiz was hit by a bullet or bullets from the officer’s gun.
This shooting would mark the second time in a week that an outside law enforcement agency was involved in a shooting touching Jersey City. Last Friday a man was shot and killed in Jersey City in a confrontation with U.S. Marshals.
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