Three New Jersey teens accidentally knocked on the door of a state trooper early Sunday morning and got the shock of their lives. Trooper Kissinger Barreau lives next door to a friend of the three teens in Sparta, N.J. They confused his house up with their friend's, and when they knocked at 1:30 a.m., he assumed that it was burglars and ran outside, chasing the teens back to their car and allegedly shooting at the vehicle three times as it drove away, according to NJ.com.
The teens called the police while driving away and were later arrested for attempted burglary. After nine hours in custody, Jesse Barkhorn, 18, John Baker, 18, and 19-year-old Matthew Mayer were released without being charged with a crime.
NJ.com has a detailed account of the incident from Barkhorn's point of view:
"The teens began to walk back down the driveway, and then ran to their car when the door opened, Barkhorn said. As they maneuvered around two cars on the cul-de-sac, they saw a laser [gunsight], he said.
"'We realize it's a gun and we panic. I'm like 'dude, dude, dude, accelerate,' Barkhorn said.
"The trooper fired three shots, one of which hit a front tire, Barkhorn said. About 1½; miles away... the car came to a stop."
The teens and cop are telling two different stories on how the altercation began, however. The Attorney General's office said that a "verbal exchange" took place while the door was still closed, but Barkhorn said Barreau came downstairs and immediately started yelling and cursing before taking out his gun. The trooper was off-duty at the time and used a personal handgun, according to NJ.com.
When the police arrived on the scene, Barkhorn said they hold him he was going to have "a long night."
"They were like 'sit down and don't say one word.' They didn't believe one word we were saying," he said.
A former Union County prosecutor told NJ.com on Thursday that Barreau handled the situation poorly.
"This officer should have controlled himself," Ted Romankow said. "To start waving a gun and shooting, I think is beyond the pale."
Barreau remains on active duty while the altercation is being investigated. Meanwhile, Barkhorn has already met with an attorney.
"We're really not sure what to do," he said. "I've never been involved in anything like this."
