Knife-wielding NJ man shot after ‘advancing’ toward cops, prosecutor says

CLARK — A knife-wielding, 36-year-old township man has been charged with attempted murder, weapons offenses and attempted aggravated assault following an incident Tuesday evening that led to him being shot and injured by local police.

After  allegedly threatened residents with a weapon that witnesses said appeared to be a machete. On Wednesday, Union County Prosecutor Grave H. Park said in a statement that police responded at about 7:30 p.m., to the area of Cellar and Lake avenues after it was reported than a man, later identified as Goda, "was threatening local residents, lunging at passing vehicles with a knife, and otherwise acting erratically."

When police arrived, they ordered Goda multiple times to drop the weapon. Instead, however, the prosecutor says the man "advanced toward" one of the officers.

"As Goda continued to advance, one of the officers fired a single shot from his service weapon, striking Goda in the torso," the prosecutor said.

Goda's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said. he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Two police officers were also taken to a hospital as a precaution, although no police or civilians were injured in the incident, the prosecutor said.

Goda was charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree attempted aggravated assault, and two weapons offenses. he is being held on $600,000 bail.

AUthorities say the investigation is ongoing by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Shooting Response Team, the Union County Sheriff’s Office Identification Unit and the Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit.

Immediately following the shooting, Clark police sent out a Nixle alert informing residents that Lake Avenue would be closed from Oak Ridge Road into Scotch Plains "due to a police investigation." Cellar Avenue is located a few blocks away from Oak Ridge Park, less than a mile from the Scotch Plains border. The incident took place in a residential area near the busy Lake Avenue/Raritan Road intersection.

Police are asking anyone with additional information to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Ryan Kirsh at 908-527-4633.

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.