An ICE agent was rushed to the hospital on Monday after a suspect drove a van into him during an attempted arrest in Manahawkin, New Jersey, prompting the officer to draw his weapon and shoot at the fleeing vehicle. The incident has since drawn FBI involvement and sparked a still-ongoing manhunt for the driver.
The confrontation took place at approximately 9:30 in the morning along Route 72 near Mermaid Drive in Stafford Township, a quiet coastal community sitting just inland from Long Beach Island.
Federal agents had gathered there with a specific target in mind: Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, a citizen of Peru who had received a final order of removal from an immigration judge back in January 2026 and had failed to leave the country by the deadline.
Agents moved in and surrounded the van at a red light, approaching on foot and instructing the driver to cooperate. Instead of complying, the driver began slowly creeping the vehicle forward.
Witnesses at the scene said the tension was visible even from a distance. Then, without warning, the driver punched the accelerator and forced the van through the narrow space between the agents and their vehicles.
One officer took the full impact. The van caught the lower half of his body and crushed him against another car. In the same moment, as his body twisted from the force of the collision, the agent reached for his firearm and opened fire on the van as it sped away.
Law enforcement sources said the bullets were connected with the vehicle and likely shattered its rear window. Despite the gunfire, the driver kept going and disappeared from the scene.
A Witness Watched It All Unfold From the Street
Stafford Township resident Payton Johnson happened to be nearby when everything happened and described the scene to NBC10 in striking detail.
He watched the agents approach the van, noticed the driver inching forward, and sensed something was about to go wrong.
The moment the van lurched forward and pinned the officer, Johnson said the agent’s body twisted in a way that was painful to watch. The shooting followed almost immediately after.
The injured agent was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to survive, though officials declined to share specifics about the nature of his injuries.
The driver was not located as of Monday afternoon, and their identity and condition remain unknown. Authorities have not confirmed whether Castillo-Ormeno himself was the one behind the wheel during the stop.
Local Stafford Township police stepped back from the investigation early, noting the incident fell under federal jurisdiction. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office briefly stepped in before the FBI took full control of the case.
ICE released a formal statement calling the vehicle a weapon used against one of its officers and pointed to what the agency described as a surge in vehicle attacks on federal immigration agents.
New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew echoed that sentiment, voicing strong support for the agent and calling the incident a reminder of the daily dangers facing immigration enforcement officers.
The manhunt remains active.
