Home Invasion

Jersey City, New Jersey, August 29, 2005:

Federal and state authorities are trying to determine how armed officers raided the wrong house, smashing doors and frightening residents earlier this week, a state police spokesman said Monday.

"We are investigating what went wrong," said Sgt. Gerald Lewis Jr. "For some reason, whether it was erroneous information or supervision, we actually hit the wrong house."

He said the address on the state search warrant was correct, but that the team of state police SWAT officers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents went to the wrong street and raided a home with the same number on Saturday.

"We stirred up a hornet's nest with this one" added Lewis. "The folks we raided were part of some radical political party I never heard of. They're awfully pissed off."

An assessment of the damage had not been completed, Lewis said, "but of course we will work with the attorney general's office and other agencies to make restitution."

Residents of the home in Jersey City said officers cursed at them while ripping through two upstairs apartments and asking where guns were for 15 minutes before realizing the mistake.

"The investigator said they were looking for bad people and they were in the wrong place," house manager 70's Man told The New Jersey Spew for Sunday's newspapers.

"That's a bad mistake they made," said 70's Man, noting that several doors would not close properly.

The house operates in a cooperative arrangement run by members of a politcal group known as the Ronatarian Party. Party founder and leader Ron was not on the premises when the raid took place.

State police also hit a wrong house in May, raiding the home of a retired truck driver in Woodbridge while looking for a prostitution racket.

Posted by Bittle at August 29, 2005 08:40 AM