A New Jersey police officer has died after he was accidentally shot in a hunting accident, authorities said.
Hamburg Patrolman Jason Franco, 38, was hunting deer with a family member in Wantage on Tuesday when he was struck by a shotgun blast, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Officer said.
“We’re all in shock,” Hamburg Mayor Paul Marino said in a telephone interview with the New Jersey Herald.
“He couldn’t have been any nicer to her,” Marino recalled.
Franco, who was hired as patrolman in April 2018, was deer hunting with a group near Havens Road in Wantage when a juvenile in the party accidentally fired a weapon and struck Franco shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which investigated the incident.
Franco was hit by a single bullet from a shotgun and died at the scene. First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller identified the juvenile as a family member but declined to release the person’s name. Other authorities also declined to identify the family member.
“The investigation appears to suggest this was just a tragic accident,” First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller told NJ Advance Media.
Shortly after noon on Wednesday, the Hamburg Borough Police Department marked Franco’s end of watch on social media. The prayers and condolences came rolling in shortly after. Many who didn’t know him personally but were still moved to respond.
“Sending prayers to all who knew him. My sincerest condolences,” Heather Faley Baez posted to the Hamburg Police Facebook page. “Officer Franco thank you for your service and may you rest in peace.”
