A New Jersey man was in critical condition Wednesday after repeatedly stabbing himself with a 12-inch knife and throwing his intestines at cops.

Wayne Carter, who has a history of psychiatric problems, had barricaded himself inside his Hackensack, N.J., home when the gruesome event took place late Sunday, The Record reported Tuesday.

Police were called to the house after the 43-year-old was spotted cutting himself with the knife.

When they arrived at the scene, Carter refused to drop the weapon and began waving it -- along with a hammer -- at the officers. He then repeatedly stabbed himself in the legs, abdomen and neck.

Hackensack Police Lt. Timothy Lloyd told the Cliffview Pilot, "They tried to talk him down, but they were having no luck. He was slashing at them with the knife."

When he began throwing pieces of skin and intestines at the officers, they called in the Bergen County Police Department's SWAT team, Lloyd said.

By the time they arrived, Carter's intestines were "literally" hanging out of his body, an unnamed police official told the Pilot.

"The scene was a bloody mess," the official said. "The SWAT team members had to be decontaminated due to the amount of blood."

Carter was eventually disarmed after being sprayed with two cans of pepper spray and was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery early Monday.