New Jersey authorities have identified a 20-year-old man shot dead by police while allegedly using a backhoe to damage homes and vehicles, including an occupied civilian sedan, an ambulance and two police SUVs.
Joshua Gonzalez, 20, of Millville, was shot and killed by Vineland Police Department Sgt. Louis Platania after several officers tried to stop him as they responded to a 911 call about someone erratically driving the backhoe in a Vineland neighborhood, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, which investigates fatal police encounters.
Three VPD officers were also treated for minor injuries during the ordeal, according to the AG’s office.
The events unfolded Dec. 18 around 5 a.m. at the Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park and a nearby retirement community.
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"It's like a hurricane came through here," neighbor Diane Trout told NBC10 that day. "Just total destruction."
She said she is friends with a woman whose front porch was destroyed. The backhoe also ripped a hole in the front of the home.
The rampage left several vehicles damaged, including a police SUV and an ambulance flipped onto their sides.
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Vineland Police Department officers tried for about 30 minutes to sop Gonzales, during which time Platania shot the man, the AG’s office said. Despite police officers and paramedics rendering medical aid, Gonzales died at the scene around 5:48 a.m.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information was released.
