STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, New Jersey — A federal immigration officer was involved in a dramatic incident on Monday when he was hit by a vehicle while trying to detain an individual in New Jersey, according to local law enforcement.
In response to being struck, the agent discharged his firearm, potentially hitting the vehicle as it fled the scene, reported the Stafford Township Police Department in an official statement.
“The agent sustained injuries, the extent of which are currently unknown,” police noted, adding that the condition of the driver remains unclear. “There is no indication that the public is at risk,” they assured.
Images shared online captured the moment with the agent masked and seated on the ground, leaning against a car bumper before emergency services placed him on a stretcher.
The altercation took place along Route 72 in the Manahawkin area of Stafford Township, situated approximately 60 miles east of Philadelphia.
ICE identified the suspect in a statement.
“On June 15, 2026, ICE law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Manahawkin, New Jersey to arrest Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, an illegal alien from Peru who was released into our country under the Biden administration. He was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge on January 30, 2026,” a spokesperson said. “ICE law enforcement officers attempted to conduct a vehicle stop. The driver then weaponized his vehicle and struck an officer resulting in the officer discharging his weapon. The driver fled the scene and remains at-large.”
There is no universal training standard for law enforcement to shoot at a moving vehicle. But most police departments and federal guidance bar shooting unless the driver poses an imminent threat of deadly force beyond the car itself.
In Senatobia, Mississippi, a child died Sunday when a police officer responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart fired at a moving vehicle. As police tried to stop the vehicle, the driver almost hit an officer, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
An ICE agent in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, in January. The government said the agent’s safety was at risk, but video showed Good had turned the front wheels and was driving away from him after blocking a street with her SUV.
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