Officer Injured in Powerhouse Arts District Shootout

A Jersey City police officer was injured while investigating a wild shootout in the Powerhouse Arts District early Saturday morning, according to reporting by The Jersey Journal.

Picking up on the story first reported by Jersey City Times, the Journal learned that the officer suffered a leg injury when he was “clipped” by a stolen SUV.  The SUV, a Kia Sportage, then hit a police car before turning onto Barrow Street and striking three unoccupied parked cars. The occupants fled on foot.

The report goes on to say that a New York man later presented himself at Jersey City Medical Center with a bullet wound to the buttocks and that the injured officer was treated and released.

The Powerhouse Arts District, an upscale Downtown neighborhood which lies south of the Shoprite shopping center between Marin and Washington Boulevards, has recently seen a surge of new residents and luxury development.

The shootout was described by one resident as a “major gun battle.” The resident also told Jersey City Times that people living in the area were “very concerned.”

RLS media reported a “shots-fired” incident in the 30s block of Provost Street just before 2:40 a.m.

Mayor Fulop reportedly became personally involved, sending some residents “a detailed email” about steps the city would take to investigate the incident.

According to another person, approximately thirty crime scene evidence markers were placed on the ground, with each one indicating the possible presence of a shell casing.  A “shell casing” is “that part of ammunition capable of being used in a pistol or revolver that contains the primer and propellant powder to discharge the bullet or projectile.”

The Jersey City Times asked the mayor’s spokesperson for comment and received no response.