A Trenton, New Jersey, homeowner faced a harrowing event late Sunday night when a man with a hammer broke into his house forcing him to shoot the man in self-defense. Now he potentially faces another larger and more protracted harrowing event should he be forced to navigate New Jersey’s legal system and the state’s strict self-defense laws. Fortunately, he was in his home where the law, even for New Jersey, seems to be fairly clear cut.

Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri detailed the incident to New Jersey 101.5, reporting that at approximately 10:30 p.m., Sunday evening, 34-year-old Andray Ingram, wielding a hammer, first shattered a Ring video doorbell and then forcefully entered a home on Bert Avenue. The armed homeowner, confronted by Ingram in the vestibule of the home, discharged multiple shots, fatally striking Ingram in the chest. Ingram managed to flee but was found at a nearby intersection and taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The event is under investigation, but authorities have yet to file charges against the homeowner, noting the complexities surrounding defensive actions within one’s home.

In a companion article to the shooting, New Jersey 101.5 notes the potential legal rollercoaster the homeowner now faces given the fact that the Garden State has some of the most restrictive self-defense rights in the state.

“New Jersey has a very, very different view on a citizen’s right to use force to defend either oneself, defend another or defend property. We have a very restrictive view on that,” veteran prosecutor Samuel “Skip” Reale told 101.5. “…while in maybe 48 states, you wouldn’t get indicted, in New Jersey, you run the serious risk of being charged. Even if common sense says it’s a righteous shoot, it’s likely you’re going to have to go through a court of law.”

It’s important to note that Reale was not speaking of the current case specifically and is not a prosecutor in that case. He was replying to a general question that was asked of him by the reporter.

“In New Jersey, we have a presumption of innocence, but we don’t have a presumption that you made the right choice,” he added.

In fact, the article noted in interviewing the experts, in some cases, New Jersey’s interpretation of the Castle Doctrine, even requires homeowners to warn intruders to vacate the premises before firing shots, unless danger is imminent.

But civil rights attorney Tim Alexander clarified that in further questioning and said, “You do not have an obligation to warn. I’m not aware of a single scenario that you have a duty to warn, but you do have a duty to identify.”

Just shooting at a dark form walking across the room toward you isn’t enough both Reale and Alexander agreed. You have to identify who it is before firing, citing the example it could be a family member who forgot a key and broke a window to get in or some similar situation.

And what if you fail to identify the person before shooting and they wind up being someone who had a possible right to be there?

“You may be able to raise a solid defense that you believed your safety was in jeopardy, but you are probably going to be charged,” Alexander said.

Outside of the home, and contrary to states with “Stand Your Ground” laws, New Jersey law compels individuals to retreat, if possible, before resorting to deadly force in self-defense. Legal experts emphasize the serious implications and potential legal challenges that homeowners face even when their actions might seem justifiable in the moment of threat.

“Even if the law allows for it, you’re going to be subject to an investigation. You’re subject to potential criminal charges. You’re subject to potential civil charges,” Stafford Township Police Chief Thomas Dellane told 101.5. “If I can make one strong point … call 911 as soon as possible, and let the professionals deal with it the way we’re trained to do.”

The almost impossible expectations layered into New Jersey’s laws isn’t lost on prosecutor Reale, but his observation on how the law operates in his state is something every gun owner there needs to understand.

“And what we’re asking people to do is, is make a split-second decision. It’s not even a split second, it is milliseconds. You’re processing all that information that you’re seeing and what you’re hearing, and trying to decide what is it I’m confronting, and what force can I use?” Reale said. “And New Jersey is always going to second-guess you in the process.”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

31 COMMENTS

  2. I only have one reason to visit Jersey, and that’s when my friend with ALS passes. Otherwise I have zero urge to ever visit much less live there.

    Seems closer to an open air prison to me.

  3. At least the homeowner is the one controlling the narrative. I hope he asked for an attorney.

    • @flag

      OT – can you shed light on how the 5th Circuit can overrule SCOTUS on the latest stop on Texas’ immigrant detention law? Is this outright insurrection in the judiciary, or am l just ignorant?

      Looks to me like the 5th is effectively acting as an agent for the cartel (to include the govt) smuggling industry.

      [I hear 1500$ per unit is a sound number as a lower bound.

      Note that cartels are known to kill those who try to cross our border without paying them.]

      But never mind all that – isn’t the 5th Circuit’s action here highly um, unusual?

  4. This is ridiculous.

    “citing the example it could be a family member who forgot a key and broke a window to get in or some similar situation.”

    The police have verified it wasn’t a family member and was unknown to the defender, they even say so in their statement at the article linked web site with this statement “Ingram was not known to the homeowner”.

    yeah, that’s what I do, pass out house keys to all the family members I don’t know so they can show up prepared with a hammer to smash the door bell and break in because they forget the key.

    Seriously, what a stupid contrived reasoning. I mean the police have already verified the intruder was not known to the home owner, they have verified the intruder showed up with a hammer and smashed the Ring video doorbell and broke in and now these guys are going on about “identify” because it could have been family member who forget their key.

    How many family members who forgot their key shows up at home prepared with a hammer to smash the Ring door bell?

    • Also, “Stafford Township Police Chief Thomas Dellane told 101.5. “If I can make one strong point … call 911 as soon as possible, and let the professionals deal with it the way we’re trained to do.””

      It’s almost like they forget they are under no obligation to actually intervene in whatever crap is unfolding and can just stand outside and “negotiate”. Or at least want us to forget.

  5. How did the police know who shot Andray Ingram? I would submit that they identified the home owner as the shooter only because he was dumb enough to call 911. If he had been smart enough to simply shoot, not shovel, and shut up, it is doubtful that New Jersey’s Keystone Cops could figure it out. It would likely be dismissed as just another drug deal gone wrong and merely a misdemeanor murder at worst. Of course the homeowner ‘s Ring camera is a potential problem as the uploaded video can be obtained by the police even without a subpoena. The neighbors’ various security cameras are also problematic. Note to everyone, don’t have cameras!

    Of course this shooting would be far less problematic for the homeowner if Mr Ingram had died within the home. A police response to reports of hearing gunshots would not provoke a particularly vigorous police response. Any police arriving on scene would have no reason to believe that the home owner had shot anyone. The carcass of Mr Ingram could have been discretely dragged off to the bathroom where it could bleed out in the bathtub. The home owner could then roll up and dispose of any blood stained rugs (just another reason to not have carpet), then mop the floor with bleach to oxidize any pesky DNA evidence. Mr Ingram’s cell phone could then be taken to s local truck stop where it could be concealed on a truck going elsewhere. over the next few days, the Ingram carcass could be systematically dismembered into manageable pieces then transported to various locations where the not so easily identified components could be dumped. Please note that only the skull, hands and feet, and maybe the rib cage are likely to be identified as human by someone who isn’t an expert. The rest will be dismissed as part of an animal, especially after the local wildlife have feasted on the flesh. A pig farm is an obviously perfect disposal option..

      • In a sane society, your position would be correct. However; we’ve been spiraling down the drain of anarcho- tyranny for decades. The campaign by Antifa and BLM to defund, disband and demoralize the police has been accompanied by demands for even more gun control. Please note that the one ethnic-racial group that is only one-eighth of the population yet commits nearly two-thirds of all homicides and more than two-thirds of gun homicides is screaming the loudest for gun prohibition. Critical Race Theory that has been so eagerly embraced by our courts and legislatures has effectively declared open season on White people. We now face the prospect of the ongoing flood of illegal invaders escalating to a tsunami of genocidal maniacs from Haiti. We are about to be confronted with a situation similar to the Rwandan genocide.

        The legalities no longer matter because we no longer have anything resembling the rule of law.

    • @Elmer Fudd

      😁

      That’s the plot of a movie I’ve seen. I can’t remember the name of it right now though.

    • Cops and prosecutors are inherently lazy and will target the “low hanging fruit” that guarantees an easy win to make their statistics look good.

      And in a royal prussian blue state like Noo Joisy nothing is more low-hanging than a DGU.

      • Southern, LE officers are just like everyone else. Some are lazy. Some will chew on a case like a dog on a bone.

    • Elmer, even if the homeowner hadn’t called 911, the first thing LE is going to do is deploy K-9 and backtrack . It won’t be long before they’re knocking on the homeowner’s front door. You remember, the door that was kicked in. While the homeowner is cleaning up the scene. Rut-Roe.

      • (snicker)

        Furthermore, there is a non-trivial probability that the home invader will leave a significant blood trail leading back to the home that he invaded. Who needs a tracking dog when police can follow bright red blobs on the ground?

  6. It wasn’t hammer time and unless there’s more to the story it’s cut and dry Self Defense.

  7. … “Call 911 as soon as possible, and let the professionals deal with it as we’re trained to do.”
    A – the homeowner woul be dead already, so he’s not going to be able to make any calls.
    B – they’d bag the homeowner’s body to stack up with the others in the average NJ morgue.
    C – they’ll see to it that on the off chance that any perp is arrested, that he’s released on zero bond in half the time it takes the arresting officers to complete the paperwork.
    And Andrew Lias, I’d feel bad about not paying my last respects, but the family would understand your apprehension about being the next one being viewed

    • That would be North Jersey. South Jersey is Pennsy’s retarded little brother.The two halfs of the state hate each other.

  9. why
    would anybody live in new jersey
    when they could live in america
    its just a couple states over

  10. I thought that I would just throw this out there:

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/03/theres_a_deadly_race_war_raging_in_america.html

    Keep in mind that in my own, personal experience, my brother was brutally murdered by a lilly white career criminal. My grandfather was shot by an armed robber who was lilly white. The local Gaston Good Old Boys who have repeatedly shot at members of my family without consequences are lilly white. I am seriously contemplating
    exterminating the vermin. However; it is the African American community as well as the Democrat party who are pushing the US into the abyss of genocide.

  11. Attacked with a hammer.
    Easy fix, bring out some boards, a saw, a tape measure, and a box of 16penny nails.
    ” Glad you showed up, we got work to do.”
    That crook will be outta there faster then you can say job application.

  12. New Jersey is a slave state. Don’t worry you can be a comfortable slave with your legal butt sex and drugs.

  16. The Geniuses who pass the law have armed security 24/7. They have no right telling us how to defend ourselves. Defend your family and property first

Comments are closed.