Police: 2 New Jersey detectives shot in 'unprovoked' ambush while sitting in unmarked vehicle

CAMDEN, N.J. – Two Camden County police detectives escaped with their lives Tuesday evening when a gunman opened fire on them at close range, authorities said.

"They were essentially ambushed," Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said of the attack.

He said the officers were sitting in an unmarked vehicle at a red light, when a man walked up and opened fire.There were "between 10 and 25 rounds fired at the officers" at close range, with some going through the vehicle's windshield, the chief said.

The officers, a male and a female, were rushed to a hospital for treatment of wounds that the chief said were not life-threatening.

Thomson credited that outcome to "the grace of God."

One detective managed to return fire at the gunman, who fled the scene, the chief said.

"We don't know if his rounds struck anyone or anything," he said of the detective.

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Thomson said police were checking with area hospitals for anyone arriving with gunshot wounds.

“We have a rapidly unfolding investigation to identify and apprehend the perpetrators,” he said.

Thomson said the detectives were in plainclothes and were working in a “non-enforcement capacity” at the time of the attack.

He said the suspect had walked up to the police vehicle before the "completely unprovoked" shooting.

The female officer was shot in the hand, a police officer told the Courier-Post. No details about the other officer's injuries was available.

Please pray for the 2 @CamdenCountyPD officers shot tonight. Keep their families and friends in your thoughts also. — New Jersey State PBA (@NJSPBA) August 8, 2018

The shootings occurred on National Night Out, an annual celebration designed to build partnerships between police officers and the communities they serve. The Camden County Police Department was among those participating, with officers attending community events around the city.

Thomson said he spoke with the officers' mothers at the hospital, and he described them as "extremely distraught."

"We understand the inherent risk in this job," he said, noting a Philadelphia police officer had been shot Monday."

Camden County police officers, who started patrolling the city in May 2013, have been wounded in two previous shootings.

BREAKING: Two police officers have been rushed to the hospital after being shot in Camden, New Jersey - their conditions are unknown at this time. pic.twitter.com/lBPcGWfUvN — Breaking News Global (@BreakingNAlerts) August 8, 2018