Knife-Wielding Man Shot By Police Following Stand-Off In Basking Ridge: Prosecutor

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — A man with a knife was shot by police following a more than 30-minute standoff in Bernards Township, said Somerset County First Assistant Prosecutor Annemarie L. Mueller.

On Monday at 3:30 p.m., Bernards Township Police got a 911 text for a welfare check on a man who was bleeding and possibly intoxicated in the area of Mountainview Boulevard, said Mueller.

Officers reported they found Jake Smolinsky, 31, of Asbury, in the driver's seat of a Subaru sedan with a knife.

"For over 30 minutes, Bernards Township Police Officers pleaded with Smolinsky to exit his vehicle and to drop the knife," said Mueller.

Police also tried to render aid to the visible injuries on Smolinsky’s body, said Mueller.

Smolinsky reportedly refused to comply with officers' commands.

At one point, Smolinsky reportedly told officers, "put one right here" while pointing to his head.

Smolinsky then got out of his vehicle and began walking towards a Bernards Township police officer with his knife pointed towards the officer, said Mueller.

The officer fired their duty weapon once, hitting Smolinsky in the abdomen, said Mueller.

Officers immediately began life-saving measures on Smolinsky before he was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment.

Members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigation Unit are investigating.

Smolinsky was charged with second-degree aggravated assault and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Smolinsky was served with his complaint in a local hospital where he is currently listed in stable condition.

Once released from the hospital, Smolinsky will be lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a court hearing on this matter.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes
Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Bernards Township Police Department at 908-766-1122 or via the STOPit app.

Information can also be provided through Somerset County
Communications at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office website at SCPO.TIPS. All anonymous STOPit reports, and tips will be kept confidential.

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