PITTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, NJ – He was shot in the line of duty and almost killed.  And right after being released from the hospital… he decided he wasn’t going to waste a single day of his life.

Last month, New Jersey State Police Detective Richard Hershey was shot in the line of duty.  His girlfriend and loved ones couldn’t visit him in the hospital because of the current health crisis.

First – here’s the back story.

On April 25, Detective Hershey responded to a call of a home invasion at a trailer park in Pittsgrove Township.

Investigators said a woman had been beaten and robbed by a group of other women during the robbery.

As the trooper was conducting interviews with witnesses in plainclothes and an unmarked vehicle, authorities say five vehicles approached the scene.

Hershey let everyone know who he was and ordered the occupants of those vehicles to leave.

But police said as one of the vehicles drove off, one of the passengers shot Det. Hershey in the leg.

He survived.  And as he left the hospital, he proposed to his girlfriend Nikki Grazioli.

Her sister, Rachelle Alven, caught it all on camera.

In the clip, you can Nikki running up to Det. Hershey.  She had no idea about the surprise he had planned.

She put up a post about it on Facebook, saying:

“He gave me a run for my money and brought out emotions I never knew were even possible. He has tested everything I am and brought out all and any strength I had stored up for the past 27 years.

I can tell you that tears don’t run dry, eating can be overrated and my Trooper has brought braveness to a whole new level. 

We have both been overwhelmed and humbled with all the inboxes, texts and calls. We will never be able to tell you all enough how much we appreciate all the support and constant positive thoughts day in and day out.

COVID halted all visitation and time has dragged making it seem nearly impossible to reach discharge. Today was the day!

To family, friends, other police departments, New Jersey State Police and the nurses and doctors at Cooper…THANK YOU for today and the last 11 days.

We now know that nightmares sometimes become reality and that time will be on our side for all sorts of healing coming this way.

Kiss and hug everyone you know just a little tighter, I sure know I will.

Let’s just say, this was one hell of a homecoming! I got to kiss and hug him for the first time in 11 days and ended up walking out with a fiancé!  

He is home. He is alive. He is recovering. WE ARE ENGAGED! I love you Ric Larry, couldn’t be more happy to have you home, safe and officially ALL MINE,” Nikki wrote on Facebook.

Back to that shooting…here’s more from the original story we reported:

Five women have been identified and charged in connection with the circumstances that had the trooper in the scene to investigate.

New Jersey 101.5 reports:

“The Salem County Prosecutor’s Office has charged five women, ranging in age from 22 to 52, for the home invasion robbery and the Attorney General’s Office charged three men, all from Bridgeton, in connection with Hershey’s shooting.

Those five women have been identified as 22-year-old Iramari Lazu and her 43-year-old mother, Yomari Lazu, as well as 32-year-old Jazmin Valentin, 39-year-old Maria Betancourt and 52-year-old Mayra Roblero – forced entry into the residence of a woman, beat her up and stole her iPhone, Grewal said.

Grewal said Tuesday morning that he found it particularly troubling that the violence against the trooper unfolded during a pandemic. He said Hershey was simply doing his job, trying to keep the public safe.”

It isn’t every day that we agree with anything that Grewal says, but in this case, he is absolutely correct. Not because it happened during a pandemic, but because the trooper was merely doing his job, and someone decided his life was meaningless.

As we originally shared, “Naz” Hutchings has been charged with attempted murder. 

New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan said: 

“Anyone attempting to murder a New Jersey State Trooper, or any member of law enforcement, will find no safe haven. Our pursuit will be relentless, unwavering and swift. Fortunately, we did not suffer a tragedy.”

Officials say that Detective Richard Hershey was investigating a reported home invasion that took place at the Harding Woods mobile home park in Pittsgrove Township at approximately 10:30 p.m. on April 26th when he was shot by 21-year-old Najzeir J. Hutchings.

Detective Hershey was reportedly in plain clothes with an unmarked car, investigating a report of five women who had forced their way into a home and assaulted another woman and stole her phone earlier in the evening.

According to Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, a “caravan” of five cars then pulled up at the residence that Detective Hershey was actively investigating. The occupants of the vehicles then exited the cars, and confronted the detective.

Detective Hershey notified the group that he was law enforcement, and at some point thereafter, Hutchings allegedly shot the trooper in the leg.

Detective Hershey was able to return fire at the suspect, and a woman who happened to be present at the time was struck in the leg. Police have not determined whether the detective’s gunfire or the suspect’s was responsible for the woman’s injury at this time. Authorities also stated that there was no body camera footage obtained in the exchange.

Detective Hershey was later transported over to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he’s currently in stable condition.

As for Hutchings, he’s been charged with first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault on a police officer, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Two other individuals present during the exchange were also arrested.

Those two suspects were identified as 19-year-old Kareen Warner Jr. and 18-year-old Colby Opperman. However, those two suspects are only being charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

The three suspects in custody relating to the shooting of Detective Hershey are now sitting in the Salem County Correctional Facility.

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Murdered officer's grave desecrated before headstone even placed

Salem County Prosecutor John Lenahan commented on the disturbing case of flagrant violence directed toward the law enforcement community:

“This shocking attack on a member of the State Police who was working with us on an investigation demonstrates what our officers risk every day to protect us.”

AG Grewal believes that the five women who were allegedly responsible for the home invasion that led to Detective Hershey investigating the scene played a role in the five vehicles arriving that evening:

“We allege that [the home invasion suspects] were not satisfied with what had transpired earlier and that they went there to exact even more harm on the residents there, perhaps.”

The five home invasion suspects were also located and arrested. With regard to Detective Hershey being shot, AG Grewal described the alleged gunman as “cowardly” and that there will be zero tolerance of mobs intimidating law enforcement:

“We have zero tolerance for a hostile mob that threatens a law enforcement officer performing his duties. We have zero tolerance for those that attack a law enforcement officer. And we have zero tolerance for a cowardly gunman that targets a detective in a drive-by shooting in the middle of the night in the midst of a pandemic.”

State Police Col. Patrick Callahan stated that he’s been in contact with the detective daily since his injury:

“We will have him and his family in our prayers as he moves forward through his recovery. I’ve talked to him every day since and will continue to do so. He knows that he is surrounded by a thoughtful group of men and women, not only in the State Police, but around the country that are pulling for him and his recovery.”

Col. Callahan explained that while there’s going to be a little time needed for Detective Hershey to be back on his feet, he was pleased to see the detective’s optimism throughout all this:

“He’s got a little bit of a road ahead of him. I think he might be in Cooper for another week or so, but his spirits are phenomenally high and we do expect a full recovery.”

We at Law Enforcement Today are pleased to see that Detective Hershey is doing well, despite being shot while on duty. It just goes to show that in the world of law enforcement, a life or death situation can crop up at any time.

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