Police shoot fugitive wanted in Elmwood Park, NJ attempted murder

MONTVILLE — A man wanted for attempted murder in Bergen County was shot and killed in a police-involved incident in Morris County that left two officers wounded, the state Attorney General’s Office announced.

The firefight unfolded on Saturday after 7 p.m. in a motel along Route 46 in the Pine Brook section of town, according to state authorities.

Without officially sharing the man’s identity, they confirmed law enforcement was carrying out an arrest warrant for attempted murder stemming from a Dec. 27 incident in Elmwood Park.

Elmwood Park Police previously shared a photo of James Allandale, 61, wanted for attempted homicide in a Dec. 27 shooting at a home on Lincoln Avenue.

On Monday, Elmwood Park police said they could not comment on the officer-involved shooting, as it was now under standard review by the Attorney General’s Office.

Motel room confrontation

Morris County Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team was helping Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office detectives, as they found the man was in a particular room.

Around 7:14 p.m., two officers entered and the man exchanged gunfire with them.

The Daily Voice cited “multiple law enforcement sources” in reporting that Allandale was tracked to the Knights Inn, where he opened fire on officers.

The man was pronounced dead minutes later and a gun was recovered nearby.

Two officers were taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Violent criminal past?

ABC7 Eyewitness News reported that Allandale had moved into the Elmwood Park home of his girlfriend about 18 months ago, according to neighbors.

The same neighbors said that after finding out about a criminal history, the girlfriend was trying to break up with him when the shooting incident happened at the home, sending another woman to the hospital.

News 12 similarly reported from the Lincoln Avenue neighborhood, where the violence erupted two days after Christmas.

The Daily Voice has reported that Allandale previously was known as James Allan — when he was convicted of criminal restraint, terroristic threats and violation of a domestic violence restraining order.

Allan was 41 when he was sentenced in 2002 to a 10-year prison term, according to court papers.

Allan had abducted an ex-girlfriend in a grocery store parking lot in Wayne in 2000, forcing her to travel with him for several days, according to the same court paperwork.

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

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