By: Richard L. Smith
A 31-year-old Asbury man has been charged after authorities say he advanced toward a Bernards Township police officer with a knife, prompting the officer to open fire during a lengthy standoff last month.
According to information released by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, officers responded to Mountainview Boulevard at approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 29 after receiving a 911 text requesting a welfare check on a man who was reportedly bleeding and possibly intoxicated.
When officers arrived, they found Jake Smolinsky seated in the driver’s seat of a Subaru sedan holding a knife.
Authorities said officers spent more than 30 minutes attempting to persuade Smolinsky to exit the vehicle, drop the knife, and accept medical assistance for visible injuries.
During the encounter, Smolinsky allegedly refused repeated commands and at one point told officers, “Put one right here,” while pointing to his head.
Investigators said Smolinsky eventually exited the vehicle and began walking toward an officer while pointing the knife at them.
As he continued advancing, the officer fired one round, striking Smolinsky in the abdomen.
Officers immediately rendered life-saving aid before Smolinsky was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition.
Following an investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Smolinsky was charged with second-degree aggravated assault and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Authorities said Smolinsky was served with the charges while hospitalized.
He is expected to be lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a court hearing once he is discharged from the hospital.