Manhunt For Masked Gunman Who Opened Fire At NJ Transit Park-And-Ride
OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – The search is on for a gunman who opened fire near a New Jersey Transit park-and-ride in Old Bridge.
Commuters were gathered near a bus shelter when shots rang out around 4 p.m. Monday, sending them ducking for cover.
"We were walking to the bus stop and we just heard gunshots. We didn't know where it came from. Then we looked and we saw a guy with a mask and gray hoodie," witness Deondra Jackson told CBS2.
One bullet pierced the bus shelter off Route 9, where four or five people were standing. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
"He was shooting just in the air. He was just trying to hurt somebody, and then he just didn't," said witness Kionna Weathers.
Police said they initially received conflicting information about the suspect's description. Some people reported seeing him with a rifle.
"He ran into New Amsterdam, which is over here, the complexes over here. We just didn't see him after that, so we decided to go back to McDonald's and wait there," Weathers said.
Some commuters, like Joanne Davis, said they were uneasy this morning.
"Normally, I'm here earlier. But today, I kind of didn't rush to get out here," she told CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas.
Davis said she saw the large police response but initially assumed it was a training exercise.
"That was the furthest thing from my mind – that something actually really was happening that serious here," she said.
Old Bridge police were seen making the rounds and NJ Transit officers stood guard.
"It's crazy, but that's where we're at today. It's not safe anywhere anymore," said Jimmy Mahan who works at a bus depot. "You don't know what's going to happen."
"I hope they catch the person. That's the unsettling part, that you don't know where the person is and what motivated it," another commuter added.
Investigators believe the suspect was seen wearing a brown mask. So far, police have not provided any further description.
