South Brunswick Police end three-hour standoff at Route 1 motel

user12306 1495480406 media1 30482c 240 101 PrsMePolice in South Brunswick successfully ended a three-hour standoff at a Route 1 motel on Monday morning.

At about 8:15 a.m., police were called to the Hotel Vincenza  at 3793 Route 1 south after workers reported a despondent man in a motel room. According to the caller, the man wanted to end his life or force officers to kill him.

A dozen officers responded to the motel. Officers established a perimeter and began negotiations with the man. The 39-year-old man had a history of mental illness and was highly agitated when officers arrived, police said. He yelled at the officers and threw items against the door. The man refused to exit the room and made demands during the standoff, police said. Over the next three hours, negotiators were able to de-escalate the situation by reassuring the man that they wanted a safe outcome and wanted to get him the assistance he needed, police said. Negotiators worked with the man’s friends and family members during the standoff, police said. Just after 11:20 a.m., the man emerged from the room with his dog. The man was transported by EMS with police to an area hospital.

“The officers did a tremendous job de-escalating the tense situation. We have trained our officers to use de-escalation and talk situations down. Here the officers realized time was on their side and worked to resolve the standoff by talking to him over a period of hours. He was combative at first and was looking to force a confrontation,” Chief Raymond Hayducka said.

“Officers made the correct decision to simple set up a perimeter and begin talking. He quickly realized no one was going to come rush in and tackle him. As time went on he began to speak of his issues and the problems he is facing. Negotiators worked to develop a rapport and show him they were concerned for his well-being,” Hayducka said. “Officers worked with the man’s family and friends to get information and convince him to get help. After he realized no one was going to hurt him, he agreed to come out and get help. This is the outcome we look for in every interaction. It takes skill and training to create a peaceful resolution.”

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.