Posted on 04/05/2007 11:03:40 AM PDT by COEXERJ145
READINGTON, N.J. An FBI agent was killed in a shootout with three bank robbery suspects Thursday in north central New Jersey, a law enforcement official said.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agent's family had not been told of his death, said the agent was alive when brought to University Hospital in Newark by helicopter, but efforts to save him failed.
"He didn't make it," the official said.
Other law enforcement officials, also speaking anonymously because the investigation was ongoing, said agents were investigating a string of recent bank robberies in central New Jersey when they came upon the suspects leaving a bank near Route 22 in Readington. A shootout ensued.
One suspect was captured and two fled to nearby woods, the official said. State and local authorities are searching for the suspects with helicopters and dogs.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Always looking for another use for the “ Stinking Rose “. Filed for future...in a new folder.
I wish these creeps would stay in their armpit areas and not bother us. We don’t want this trash in our area.
I also hope they get this creep soon. When it gets dark ... it’ll be real tough to find this Hispanic. It’s woods all over. At night on 78, he could hitch a ride very easily. It’s unlikely a truck driver is going to eye him for shoes - one is missing.
One good thing......if he lost a shoe, he probably wont get too far through the woods before he goes lame.
Especially running, he is going to bang his foot up real bad on fallen branches and rocks and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets cut up in the briars which can get very thick in places like the river bottom along the Lamington.
I think he probably is hunkered down somewhere waiting for dark. If he went north, he is probably sitting somewhere between Route 22, Island Road, Lamington Road and River Road. There are lots of places to hide in there. The Lamington River is very shallow and he could easily cross any of a thousand places. The easiest way to get out of there without being seen is to follow the Lamington towards Oldwick, it’s mostly woods all the way with only one or two small country bridges across it. I seriously doubt this guy knows his way around though, so hopefully he’ll stumble right into a place where he can be easily caught or killed.
Ideally killed.
Thanks. What’s IIRC?
Here’s another update:
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/04/fbi_agent_is_shot_and_killed.html
excerpts
Investigators believe the man lost one of his shoes shortly after the shooting. His second shoe was found this afternoon in the woods behind Raritan Valley Community College, police said.
Some 3,000 people, including a number of visiting elementary school-aged children, were in lockdown at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, said John Trojan, a college official. The college sent everyone home at 3:30 p.m. at the request of police.
At Loukas Last American Diner on Route 22 in neighboring Branchburg, owner Nickos Halkias said police telephoned and asked him to be on the lookout.
“All they said was to look out for a Hispanic guy, jeans, tan jacket, long black hair,” said a woman who would only identify herself as Margaret.
He’s probably from the Edison area. Home base sounds like the Edison area. Look at the banks he had a hand in holding up:
In each case, a masked gunman entered a bank and fired a single shot signaling the start of the robbery. In at least two of the robberies in Middlesex County, the gunman was assisted by accomplices carrying rifles.
Investigators believe the team may have been involved in bank robberies at the Commerce Bank in Piscataway, a Bank of America in East Brunswick, a Bank of America in South Brunswick and a Bank of America in Ocean Township in Monmouth County.
Everyone knows crooks are wrong????????? They do???? Really???? couldn’t tell that by some of the stories in the papers.
Prayers for the family of Special Agent Barry Lee Bush.
Thank you for your service to our country, Agent Bush. RIP.
The story now is that the agent may have been shot when another agent’s gun accidentally discharged. Curious turn of events.
I left the college around 12:30 today - saw so many police cars on 22, 202, 206. Didn’t know what was up then. The college cancelled its evening classes, which ticked me off - but if the man was actually in the woods behind the college, you DON’T want students walking into the far reaches of the parking lots in the dark - when my class gets out, it’s just five women and one man walking into the lot, and no one else.
I hope they catch this guy soon - if he’s freezing out there tonight he might try breaking into someone’s house.
If the FBI were staking out the bank, they probably have a good lead on who he is. So he’ll have a harder time calling on friends and family for help.
Mrs VS
http://www.nj.com has the best updates.
Be glad they closed down RVCC. This guy will be desperate for a car.
They now have a picture of the guy still on the loose:
He’s Herrara-Genao, who is considered armed and dangerous, is described as a 6-foot, 200-pound Hispanic male wearing a sweatshirt, officials said. He is 22.
An ugly mean looking one. Wonder if he is an ILLEGAL Hispanic?
His friends must have talked:
“The two suspects arrested at the scene were identified as Wilfredo Berrios, 28, and Michael Cruz, 21, both of New Brunswick. They were charged with the attempted robbery of the PNC Bank in Readington.”
“A third man— Efrain Lynn of New Brunswick— was also arrested today in New Brunswick. Police said Lynn, 21, was involved in a March 16 armed armed robbery of a Bank of America branch in South Brunswick.”
I will have an uneasy night. Hope they get this guy. I’ve never experienced this kind of thing before.
If I Recall Correctly . . .
Oh, I am definitely glad now. I hadn’t realized how close he was.
I know some of the paramedics and EMTs who must have tried to help the agent. This will be rough on them.
Mrs VS
Amazing. I just read the entire updated article, fingering Wilfredo Berrios, 28, Michael Cruz, 21, and Francisco Herrera-Genao, 22, for the string of bank robberies.... yet they fail to mention the immigration status of these individuals.
What is your best guess, since you live in the area?
Stay safe, everyone.
BTW, I believe even if the fire came from another agent’s weapon, the bank robbery perps can be charged in the fatally wounded agent’s death... not sure.
If it were an actual shootout, yes. If there was no gunfire and this was the result of incompetence on the part of an FBI agent, then probably not.
We do have lot of illegals. Also lots of legals. Also native-born. New Brunswick has gone heavily Hispanic in the last decade - now 40% of the population, or at least 40% of the school population.
I saw a bumper sticker the other day - “I’M NOT A VIGILANTE, I’M AN UNDOCUMENTED BORDER PATROL AGENT.”
One of the local towns, Morristown, wants to deputize all its police force as federal immigration agents with federal arrest powers.
Mrs VS
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