Man Charged With Attempted Murder of Aberdeen, NJ, Police Lt.

An Old Bridge man has been arrested and is being charged with attempted murder after hitting an off-duty Aberdeen police lieutenant and then fleeing the scene Monday afternoon.

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Wednesday that 49-year-old Christopher Uszenski is charged with first-degree attempted murder and third-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision with serious bodily injury.

Lt. Craig Hausmann, who is currently in stable condition, was trying to stop the Uszenski as he was driving erratically in the area of North Concourse and Wayside Drive in the Cliffwood Beach section of town and was then struck by the wayward vehicle, according to information from the preliminary investigation.

Fellow Aberdeen Police Officers then responded to the scene on a call for service around 12:15 pm, to find Lt. Hausmann, suffering from injuries caused by a vehicle who had fled the scene.

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Aberdeen Police investigated the crash along with members of the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team, Keyport Police, and Old Bridge Police, and the teamwork led to investigators identifying Uszenski as a suspect.

Uszenski and his vehicle, a Nissan Altima, were located on Pomona Boulevard in Old Bridge a short time later.

He remains in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, pending a first appearance to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court.

“The speed and professionalism with which this investigation was conducted was nothing short of extraordinary, and we’re pleased that the person responsible has been identified and apprehended,” Acting Prosecutor Linskey said in a written statement. “We’d also like to wish Lt. Hausmann a swift and thorough recovery, and let him and his Department know that they have our firm support.”

Aberdeen Police Chief Matthew Lloyd said in a written statement through the MCPO, that LT. Hausmann has been with the Department for 20-years and oversees the Administration Division.

“Lt. Hausmann remains hospitalized in stable condition, and on behalf of the entire Department, we extend to him our very best well-wishes,” Chief Lloyd said. “Despite being off duty, he nonetheless was leveraging his many years of experience in vigilantly seeking to keep his community safe at the time of his injury, and we cannot commend those efforts enough.”

If convicted on the Attempted Murder charge, Uszenski faces a term of up to 20 years in state prison.

If you have any information about the crash, you're urged to contact Detective Thomas Manzo of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at (800) 533-7443 or Detective Bruce Monro of the Aberdeen Township Police Department at (732) 566-2054.

This case has been assigned to MCPO Assistant Prosecutor Meghan Doyle.