Berkeley cop justified in shooting knife-wielding man, Ocean County prosecutor rules

Authorities have concluded that the use of force by a Berkeley police officer in a 2021 shooting incident was legally justified, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Tuesday.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office has completed its investigation nearly a year and a half after the incident, Billhimer said, and also deemed it unnecessary to present the case to a grand jury.

On Aug. 1, 2021, at 10:39 a.m., three officers responded to a residence on Stanford Drive in Berkeley following a 911 call, Billhimer said, and were warned by dispatch that the man involved, Stephen M. Carroccia, had previously “pulled a knife out of a pile of laundry.”

All officers — identified by Billhimer only as Officer 1, Officer 2 and Officer 3 — on scene were wearing a standard police uniform and equipped with body cameras, according to the announcement.

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When the first two officers arrived at the residence, they approached a woman, a relative of Carroccia's, who was sitting on the front porch, said Billhimer. One of the officers identified the relative as the 911 caller who lived at the home with Carroccia and said he was acting erratic.

Moments after, Carroccia came out of the front door "noticeably agitated," according to the news release. He questioned why the police where there and who called them. The relative told officers that he had physically assaulted her in the past and she was concerned that the situation was going to escalate.

The officers — named in the affidavit of probable cause as Special Officer Andrew Picinic, and patrolmen Eric Krook and Warren Black — tried unsuccessfully to de-escalate the situation, Billhimer said. Carroccia flinched at one of the officers like he was going to attack, and then yelled in his face, the prosecutor said.

While two of the officers talked to the relative on the porch, Carroccia stood in the doorway, according to the announcement, continuing to question why they were there. After officers again tried to calm him down, he swung the door open, stepped onto the porch and, without provocation, lunged at Picinic with a 16-inch stainless steel kitchen knife, aiming at his neck and head.

Picinic pushed him back, ordering him to drop the knife, the news release said. Carroccia, ignoring the commands, lunged at him again, using a downward stabbing motion with the knife. Black, "fearing for the life" of Picinic, shot Carroccia three time in his upper body while Picinic simultaneously used his taser.

The officers secured Carroccia and immediately gave first aid, Billhimer said. The Berkeley Township First Aid Squad arrived and took Carroccia to the hospital, along with the three officers who were evaluated per department policy.

Picinic was not injured during the incident, according to the announcement. The relative was also unharmed.

Carroccia gave a statement to detectives several days later at the hospital, saying that he grabbed the knife from the kitchen because he was frustrated that he may be arrested, the news release said. He admitted to possessing the knife and to lunging at Picinic.

The relative as well as three neighbors who saw the incident were interviewed by detectives during the investigation.

Carroccia was charged with and indicted for attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and certain persons not to have weapons, according to Billhimer. He has been held in Ocean County Jail since his arrest, the case pending disposition.

The investigation was conducted in accordance with the then applicable Attorney General’s Independent Prosecutor Directives, the announcement said. Pursuant to those Directives, the Attorney General’s Office conducted its own review of the incident and agreed with Billhimer’s determination and conclusion to forego presentation to the Grand Jury.

Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Berkeley NJ cop shooting of knife-wielding man justified: prosecutor