Officer Killed in Jersey City Melee Being Hailed as Hero
(IBEXNews) - The Jersey City detective was the first to die Tuesday afternoon when a pair of heavily-armed gunmen unleashed a frightening assault on a residential neighborhood.
Authorities said Seals, a cease-fire squad detective assigned to a unit that removed guns from the streets, approached a suspicious U-Haul van in Bayview Cemetery when he was shot and killed.
Seals, 39, a father of five, including a newborn, was pronounced dead at about 12:45 p.m.
After the gunmen fled in the truck, they killed three more people about a mile away inside a kosher grocery store on Martin Luther King Drive after they went inside, police said. Both shooters were killed following a prolonged standoff with police.
Two other cops were wounded by gunfire during the confrontation. They were treated at Jersey City Medical Center.and released.
Seals was hailed as a hero.
“I’m not surprised he ran toward the danger,” said neighbor Joe Vuocolo, 74, a retired lieutenant from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department.”I don’t think he would run from anything.”
Vuocolo described his North Arlington neighbor as a loyal family man who did flooring on the side to bring in a little extra money.
Vuocolo said Seals started in law enforcement as a corrections officer.
“But he always wanted to be a cop,” Vuocolo said. “He was a great cop and a great family man.”
Seals two-story home was adorned with colorful Christmas decorations, including three blow-up snowmen and red and green lights projected across the front of the home. “Jingle Bells” played in the background.
