A man has been charged after officials said he hit an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent with his van in Stafford Township, New Jersey. Eduardo Cruz Garcia, 39, was charged with assaulting a federal officer, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey shared in a news release. According to officials, the incident unfolded on Monday, June 15, 2026, when ICE agents stopped a white van driven by Cruz Garcia as part of an investigation. According to an ICE spokesperson, agents were trying to arrest Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, of Peru, who had been ordered to leave the country by Jan. 30, 2026. Castillo-Ormeno had been reportedly fleeing the scene in a vehicle, described by law enforcement sources as a van. Multiple federal agents wearing vests that identified them as “ICE Police” surrounded the van with their vehicles and approached the van from the driver’s side and passenger side, officials said. The agents attempted to speak with Cruz Garcia and the passenger and asked them to open the van’s windows, but they allegedly refused.   Officials added that instead of complying with the agents’ requests, Cruz Garcia fled the scene by driving the van forward while an agent was standing next to the van. Cruz Garcia struck the agent, causing the agent’s body to be wedged in between the van and one of the ICE vehicles, according to officials. The ICE agent fell to the ground and yelled out in pain. Credit: United States Attorney District of New Jersey Officials said Cruz Garcia did not stop and continued driving, striking another ICE vehicle parked nearby, before fleeing the scene. The agent who was struck by the vehicle pulled out his weapon and opened fire, officials had shared. Sources said bullets struck the van and possibly blew out the vehicle’s back window. “They tell him to roll down his window, he’s inching forward and you can tell it’s getting tense by his inching forward. As soon as he gunned it, you just see the front of the van, pin the lower half of the officer’s body into the officer’s car,” Stafford Township resident Payton Johnson told NBC10. “You just see the guy’s body just get twisted and mangled and in that twist, you know, he then pulled out his gun and shot at the van.” In surveillance video obtained by NBC10, a white van can be seen stopped at a red light as multiple vehicles surround it. Seconds later, agents get out of their vehicles and move in closer to the van. Then, the driver suddenly forces his van between an agent and the vehicles. In the video, he appears to sideswipe the agent who loses his balance and falls to the ground. The agent suffered injuries to the thigh and shin, officials said. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. “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,” U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said in a news release. “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. 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,” said FBI Newark SAC Stefanie Roddy.  ...read more read less