New Jersey Officer Injured by Incendiary Device Thrown at Patrol Vehicle

A Paterson, New Jersey, police officer suffered minor injuries late Sunday night when a smoking “incendiary object” landed on the front windshield of his marked police vehicle and exploded, law enforcement officials said.

Authorities have not said whether the officer saw someone throw the smoking object — which was shaped like a cylinder — onto his patrol vehicle, NorthJersey.com reports.

The officer had pulled over and was attempting to remove the smoking object when it exploded, a police report said.

The officer, whose name has not been released, was treated for his injuries at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center and released. The blast shattered the vehicle’s windshield and did minor damage to the hood, the police report said.

The concussive force of the explosion damaged the officer’s ears, but he was not burned, an AG spokesman said Tuesday, NJ.com reports.