Glen Rock leaders want to make Memorial Park safer after shooting. It's not simple
GLEN ROCK - A shooting during a basketball game at a park on Tuesday night has borough officials scrambling to find a way to reduce the risk of future violence in a town that regularly finds itself on lists ranking the best places to live in Bergen County.
Police responded to the shooting at Wilde Memorial Park at about 7:34 p.m., Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said in a press release. The victim, a 23-year-old male from Paterson, sustained a single gunshot wound and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital and released.
The park remained closed Wednesday as authorities investigated the shooting, but most of the area was expected to reopen Thursday, Glen Rock Mayor Kristine Morieko told NorthJersey.com. The basketball court will remain closed indefinitely, and Morieko said she requested all scheduled games on the adjacent baseball field be postponed or moved to another location for the rest of the week.
It is unknown how many shots were fired.
The park will remain closed to the public until further notice, according to a Wednesday afternoon press release from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains active.
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the Glen Rock Police Department are requesting the assistance of the public in providing any photos, videos or other pertinent information that may assist investigators.
Anybody with pertinent information can remain anonymous and contact the BCPO tip line at 201-226-5532.
Pertinent photos or videos taken in and around Wild Memorial Park immediately before, during, or after the shooting may be submitted at bcponj.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/glenrock.
Memorial Park features
The park, known colloquially to most residents as "Memorial," has undergone many improvements in the past two to three years, funded in part by the New Jersey Green Acres program, Morieko said. Green Acres was created in 1961 to protect and provide open space in New Jersey, which includes funding outdoor recreational facilities in communities around the state.
In Glen Rock, the park includes a multi-purpose baseball and softball field, an outdoor hockey rink and several tennis and pickleball courts in addition to the lone basketball court. There is also a children's playground, bocce courts and space for the borough's summer recreation program.
"It's used by pretty much the entire gamut of the population of Glen Rock, from seniors to the little kids," Morieko said.
The shooting occurred during a basketball tournament that Glen Rock officials did not know about prior to the incident, Morieko said. There was a baseball game going on just up the hill, so plenty of people were in the vicinity when the shots rang out.
Morieko was at the scene until around midnight Wednesday along with various first responders in and around Glen Rock. The borough Office of Emergency Management coordinated with the school district's security director to offer resources for students and parents, she said in a reverse 911 call to the community Tuesday night.
Possible safety changes
Morieko said she has begun looking into ways to curb dangerous behavior at the park, but existing regulations could make potential solutions difficult.
The basketball court frequently attracts large crowds of teens and adults who get loud and use language that is "always spicy," Morieko said. Nearby residents have complained about the noise, but the mayor said police are limited in what they can do without any criminal activity taking place.
Because the park has been heavily funded through New Jersey's Green Acres program, it must remain open to all members of the public under the conditions of the program. Morieko said she has explored the possibility of replacing the basketball court or restricting the park to Glen Rock residents only, but she is unsure how that will impact future funding.
Morieko also said she is trying to find out whether the borough can enforce a capacity limit at the court and elsewhere in the park to decrease the chance of violence. Tuesday's shooting was the first incident to rise to that level, and the mayor said she is hopeful it will be the last.
"In all honesty," Morieko said, "we were very lucky that no children were hurt."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Glen Rock NJ shooting at park leaves questions in aftermath
