ICE was looking for one man — but another is now charged in Stafford attack

🚨 A Barnegat man is charged after a van struck and injured an ICE agent

🚨 Fed prosecutors said the driver fled after hitting the agent and another ICE vehicle.

🚨 Questions remain about the intended arrest target, a passenger in the van and if shots fired.

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP — Federal authorities have charged the driver accused of striking and injuring an ICE agent during a chaotic confrontation on Route 72 — but he isn't the man who ICE initially said they had been looking for before the violent encounter.

The man charged Tuesday, who officials said is not in the country legally, is not the Peruvian national whom ICE agents said they were trying to arrest when they initiated the stop. Instead, prosecutors identified the driver as Eduardo Cruz Garcia, of Barnegat, leaving unanswered questions about the whereabouts of the original target as well as the passenger in the van.

The driver of a van that struck an ICE agent during an apprehension Monday was identified and is in custody.

U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Robert Frazer said ICE agents surrounded a white work van with their vehicles on Route 72 in Stafford Township and asked driver — later identified as Eduardo Cruz Garcia, 39, a Barnegat resident living in the country illegally — to roll down the window. Garcia instead tried to flee by driving the van forward while an ICE agent was standing next to it. The van also had a passenger, Frazer said.

ICE said Garcia "weaponized" the van by hitting the agent, wedging him between the van and one of the ICE vehicles, causing the agent to fall to the ground and cry out in pain.

Garcia continued driving, hit another ICE vehicle and left the stop, according to prosecutors.

Frazer did not disclose where Garcia was taken into custody. He was charged with assaulting and injuring a federal officer and arraigned in federal court in Trenton on Tuesday.

New Jersey 101.5 learned Garcia was taken into custody after seeking treatment at a hospital for a gunshot wound.

"As alleged, the defendant weaponized his vehicle and conducted an egregious assault on a federal law enforcement officer during the course of his official duties. The job is hard enough," Frazer said. "Law enforcement must be able to carry out their duties without fear of obstruction or even worse, assault. Our office will hold accountable those whom harm officers to ensure they can protect our communities without repercussions.”

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Injuries to an ICE agent's legs following incident on Route 72 in Stafford Township Mon., June 15, 2026

ICE's original target remains unclear

Several questions remain unanswered despite Garcia's arrest.

Who is Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno?

ICE said agents were conducting a "targeted vehicle stop" to arrest Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, an unauthorized immigrant from Peru.

New Jersey 101.5 received an email just before 9 p.m. Monday from a man identifying himself as Friedrich Castillo, who said he has not been in the United States for months. His immigration status was not disclosed.

"I've been in Peru since March 2, 2026. I left through CBP Home, and I even received the incentive they sent me after I sent photos as proof that I was already in my country," the email said.

The email included documentation showing Friedrich Gotardo Kevit Castillo Ormeno traveling from JFK Airport to Lima, Peru, on March 2.

Passenger and gunfire questions remain unresolved

Who was the passenger in the van?

Frazer did not disclose whether the passenger has been taken into custody or connected to the original ICE operation.

Were shots fired?

Stafford police said in an earlier update that the injured ICE agent fired at the van as it left the scene, while federal officials said that the van strike had caused the injured officer's weapon to "discharge."

Frazer did not mention any gunfire in Tuesday's announcement or in the criminal complaint.

The FBI's Newark office said it did not have additional information about the arrest. ICE did not respond to New Jersey 101.5's request for more information about the incident.

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