🚔 Police standoff rocks quiet Mountainside neighborhood
🚔 Tom Ronckovitz is accused of firing at officers after hours of failed negotiations
🚔 The 48-year-old faces multiple charges, including attempted murder
MOUNTAINSIDE — A local man has been accused of trying to kill officers, opening fire during a tense, hours-long standoff at a home in a quiet Mountainside neighborhood.
On Saturday afternoon, police were called about a domestic dispute involving a handgun.
Officers found Tom Ronckovitz had barricaded himself within a house on the 200 block of Bridle Path in Mountainside, and police tried for several hours to establish communication with the 48-year-old man.
The residential road runs parallel to New Providence Road, just north of Route 22.
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Gunfire erupts in suburban standoff in Union County
Eventually, Ronckovitz began shooting at police and their vehicles.
Very early on Sunday, officers entered the house and managed to get Ronckovitz to surrender, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said.
The response involved officers at the local, county and state levels.
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Mountainside man charged with attempted murder after shooting at police –
Mountainside street where standoff happened (Google Maps)
⚖️ Ronckovitz charged with attempted murder after police siege
Ronckovitz has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault causing or attempting to cause serious bodily injury, third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose.
He was being held in the Essex County Jail pending his first appearance in Union County Superior Court.
Ronckovitz has no previous criminal history, at the superior court level.
No other details were publicly shared Monday about who else was in the house before the standoff unfolded.
Warren County
Warren County (Canva, Townsquare Media Illustration)
Separate standoff in Warren County in August
Nearly two months ago in Warren County, police dealt with a lengthy standoff involving a 50-year-old man.
Ian Walker, of Phillipsburg, was accused of physically assaulting and threatening a victim and then refusing to leave a home in Pohatcong Township.
Police responded on Aug. 29 at 4:45 a.m. and six hours later, after repeated tries at making contact, Walker came out. Police recovered various firearms and ammunition from the home.
In that case, Walker was charged with fourth-degree aggravated assault, third-degree terroristic threats and several other counts.
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Gallery Credit: Katelyn Leboff
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New Jersey’s ‘Doughnut Holes’ Reveal Quirky Town Boundaries
There are many quirks when it comes to all 564 municipalities in New Jersey. Maybe the oddest quirk is when a borough is a doughnut hole.
No, it doesn’t have anything to do with the number of doughnut shops within a certain radius.
It’s when a borough is completely encircled by another township.
Less than 4% of the state’s municipalities are doughnut hole boroughs, as we find 20 among 11 counties.
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
