Arrest made: New questions emerge in Route 72 ICE shooting

🚨 The driver involved in an ICE confrontation on Route 72 is now in custody with a gunshot wound.

➡️ Questions remain about whether he was the immigrant ICE agents were trying to arrest.

⚠️ The incident quickly became a flashpoint in New Jersey's debate over police cooperation with ICE.

STAFFORD — The driver of a van involved in a violent confrontation with ICE agents on Route 72 is now in custody after seeking treatment for a gunshot wound, according to law enforcement sources. But nearly 24 hours after the incident, key questions remain unanswered, including whether the driver was the person federal agents were originally trying to arrest.

As details emerged in stages throughout Monday, the incident quickly became political ammunition in the ongoing debate over New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive, often criticized by conservatives as a "sanctuary state" policy. Republican critics argued the confrontation demonstrated the dangers of limiting local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities, while Stafford police maintained they followed state rules governing their involvement in immigration enforcement operations.

Two law enforcement sources told New Jersey 101.5 that the driver of the vehicle involved in an incident with ICE agents on Route 72 in the Manahawkin section walked into a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. The FBI was notified by the hospital.

The name of the hospital was not disclosed, but Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center is located nearby.

Neither ICE nor the FBI on Tuesday morning responded to New Jersey 101.5's requests for additional information.

Authorities released new details throughout the day

Details about the incident on Route 72 changed throughout Monday as local and federal authorities released bits of information.

— Stafford police initially reported just after 11 a.m. that ICE agents were attempting to apprehend a suspect when he fled the scene in a vehicle. An agent who was struck by the vehicle fired at the vehicle, but Stafford police did not know whether the suspect was hit.

— In an update at 4 p.m., Stafford police said they received "an emergency call for a report of shots fired and an injured officer." Stafford officers gave medical assistance to "an injured ICE agent," attempted to locate the suspect and secured the scene for the FBI, which continued to investigate the incident.

— ICE, in a statement emailed around 5:30 p.m., identified the suspect they had been looking for as Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, an unauthorized immigrant from Peru.

When ICE attempted to stop a van, the driver "weaponized his vehicle and struck an officer, resulting in the officer discharging his weapon" during a vehicle stop. The driver fled the scene.

Security video from the Stafford Diner, obtained by NBC Philadelphia, shows a white van stopped at a red light surrounded by ICE vehicles. As the agents get out, the driver of the van positions it between an agent and the ICE vehicles. The van appears to sideswipe the agent, who falls to the ground.

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Was ICE looking for the wrong person?

According to ICE, Castillo-Ormeno was "released into our country under the Biden administration. He was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge on January 30, 2026."

It is not clear whether Castillo-Ormeno was the van driver who was ultimately apprehended after going to the hospital or whether Castillo-Ormeno was even in the van.

New Jersey 101.5 received an email just before 9 p.m. Monday from a man identifying himself as Friedrich Castillo, who said he has not been in the United States for months.

"I've been in Peru since March 2, 2026. I left through CBP Home, and I even received the incentive they sent me after I sent photos as proof that I was already in my country," the email said.

A plane ticket bearing Castillo's name was included in the email showing Friedrich Gotardo Kevit Castillo Ormeno traveling from JFK Airport in New York to Lima, Peru, on March 2, 2026.

Plane ticket showing Friedrich Gotardo Kevit Castillo Ormeno traveled from JFK Airport in New York to Lima Peru on March 2, 2026. (Friedrich Gotardo Kevit Castillo)

Conservative critics target New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive

Stafford police stressed that the department was not part of the ICE operation, in compliance with New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive. Officers said their role was limited to traffic control and securing the scene. Stafford officers were photographed assisting the injured ICE agent before first responders arrived.

Former Stafford mayor and Assemblyman Greg Myhre called for repeal of the Immigrant Trust Directive, arguing the policy prevented local police from helping in the search for Castillo-Ormeno and contributed to his escape.

“Today's events demonstrate how restrictions on law enforcement hinder their ability to protect communities effectively, emphasizing the need to repeal such policies to keep our communities safe,” Myhre said.

Former Stafford police officer Larry Parker, whose father is a former chief, also criticized the department's response.

"It’s dereliction and political cowardice that endangers the community and the brave men and women still wearing the badge. An illegal migrant just tried to run over a federal agent in our township and fled after shots were fired, and our local police brag about staying on the sidelines," Parker said.