Man shot by NJ trooper was shooting up heroin: Cops
NEW JERSEY (FOX5NY) - A man who was apparently shooting up heroin was shot and killed by a New Jersey state trooper during an undercover narcotics operation at Molly Pitcher Service area.
The attorney general's office says Christopher Pizzichetta, 46, of Lewes, Delaware, attempted to flee in his pickup truck as the troopers tried to block him in, striking two of their vehicles and speeding directly toward a trooper on foot.
The trooper opened fire, hitting Pizzichetta. His pickup crashed into a retaining wall and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
It happened just before 3 p.m. Thursday in the southbound lanes of the NJ Turnpike in Cranbury Twp. just south of Exit 8A.
Officials found a syringe and glassine packets suspected of containing heroin in the pickup.
Video footage from SkyFoxHD showed a crashed pick-up truck with a covered body next to the open door of the vehicle. The entire area was closed off with police tape.
The service area was closed during the investigation but traffic was still moving on the Turnpike in that area.
It appeared that police had marked locations of at least five shell casings as part of the investigation.