MANAHAWKIN — An undocumented resident living in Barnegat Township has been charged with hitting and injuring a federal immigration officer with a contractor van during the Stafford Township enforcement stop earlier this week, according to federal prosecutors, while a Peruvian national initially identified after the incident does not appear to be the man now accused in court documents.
Eduardo Cruz Garcia, 39, was charged by criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer while the officer was engaged in official duties and inflicting bodily injury, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Sources told Jersey Shore Online on Tuesday that the suspect was taken into custody in Southern Ocean County. Other sources familiar with the investigation said the vehicle involved in Monday’s incident bore license plates registered to a Barnegat address. A report from New Jersey 101.5 said he was arrested at a hospital but Jersey Shore Online has not been able to confirm that, nor was it mentioned in the report from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.
Cruz Garcia made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin T. Quinn in Trenton federal court and was ordered detained.
The federal complaint names Cruz Garcia as the driver of the van involved in the June 15 incident in Manahawkin at the corner of Route 72 and Mermaid Drive. That filing comes after ICE initially identified the person involved as Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, a Peruvian national who had been issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in January 2026.
Family members publicly disputed that identification, saying Castillo-Ormeno had returned to Peru in March. An anonymous social media post also sought assistance in proving Castillo-Ormeno was not the person involved in the encounter with federal agents.
According to federal prosecutors and court documents, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped a white van driven by Cruz Garcia on June 15 as part of an investigation in Manahawkin. A passenger was seated in the front passenger seat, authorities said.
Multiple federal agents wearing vests marked “ICE Police” surrounded the van with their vehicles and approached from both the driver and passenger sides, according to the complaint. The agents tried to speak with Cruz Garcia and the passenger and asked them to open the windows, but they refused, authorities said.
Rather than comply, Cruz Garcia allegedly drove forward while an ICE agent was standing next to the van. Prosecutors said Cruz Garcia struck the agent with the vehicle, causing the officer to become wedged between the van and one of the ICE vehicles.
The officer fell to the ground yelling in pain, authorities said. Cruz Garcia allegedly continued driving, struck another parked ICE vehicle and fled the scene.
Cruz Garcia’s actions injured the officer’s thigh and shin, and the officer required medical attention at a hospital, according to prosecutors.
“As alleged, the defendant weaponized his vehicle and conducted an egregious assault on a federal law enforcement officer during the course of his official duties,” Frazer said. “The job is hard enough. Law enforcement must be able to carry out their duties without fear of obstruction or even worse, assault. Our office will hold accountable those whom harm officers to ensure they can protect our communities without repercussions.”
“The FBI considers assault on a federal officer a severe and significant violent crime,” FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy said. “We will continue to work with our valued law enforcement partners to ensure that incidents such as these are treated with the gravity they deserve, so that men and women of federal law enforcement can continue to serve, safely returning home unharmed.”
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark acting Field Office Director Arthur J. Wilson Jr. said the case should serve as a warning.
“Let these charges against Cruz Garcia be a staunch reminder that assaulting and obstructing ICE law enforcement, as alleged here, is a serious crime and a felony,” Wilson said. “Violence against our federal law enforcement officers as ICE carries out our daily mission in accordance with U.S. immigration law will not be tolerated. I want to thank our federal partners for their critical assistance in locating the defendant and ensuring that justice is sought.”
The charge of assaulting a federal officer while the officer was engaged in official duties and inflicting bodily injury carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
In the hours following the incident, some social media users criticized the Stafford Township Police Department for what they perceived as a lack of cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Stafford police were not involved in the initial attempt to apprehend the suspect as they had to follow New Jersey’s strict Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Afterward, Stafford officers assisted in securing the scene alongside members of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office. Residents also reported seeing Stafford police officers participating in search efforts in the surrounding area as law enforcement agencies worked to locate the fleeing suspect.
–Stephanie Faughnan contributed to this reporting.
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