NJ man shoots at Secaucus police after threatening woman, cops say

🔴 8 law enforcement agencies respond to Secaucus apartments

🔴 Residents nearby were told to shelter in place

🔴 Investigators said they found a handgun stolen from Texas

SECAUCUS — A North Jersey man is charged with two counts of attempted murder after shooting at police officers this past weekend, according to authorities.

Dhanraj Dass, 59, of Jersey City, was arrested on Sunday night, Secaucus police said.

Police got a 911 call around 7:45 p.m. Sunday night that said a woman's phone was taken by a person she knew, according to police.

The suspect had also threatened her inside an apartment on County Avenue, police said.

Around an hour later, two Secaucus police sergeants found a man sitting in the open doorway of the apartment. As the officers got closer, they saw a handgun.

The officers took cover as Dass started shooting at them, according to police. Authorities said he fired at least twice.

Dass went inside the apartment when other Secaucus patrol officers arrived, and police requested help from nearby police departments and SWAT, according to police.

But police said that before SWAT could get there, Dass left from a different building exit. He was arrested.

Police weren't sure if other suspects were involved, so they told residents to shelter in place and secured the area with help from five other municipal police departments, State Police, and the Hudson County Sheriff's Office.

ALSO SEE: The impact of New Jersey's opt-out vaccine registry proposal

After SWAT arrived, they did a full sweep of the building and found no other suspects.

Investigators said they found a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun used in the shooting. It had been reported stolen in Texas, police said.

Dass is charged with two counts of attempted murder plus one count each of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, receiving stolen property, and three weapons offenses.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom