NJ Officer Attacked by Man Trying to Set Home Ablaze: Police

A New Jersey man tried to set his own home on fire, then attacked a police officer who responded to the scene, authorities said.

Officers responded to the home on Chandler Avenue in Linden around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday after the 23-year-old man’s family members called 911 and said he was trying to set it on fire, Linden police said.

The tried to flee the scene after setting a mattress on fire, but one of the officers confronted him as he was leaving, according to police. That's when the man turned and attacked the officer, the department said.

The police officer the man attacked was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, police said.

The 23-year-old was arrested about a block away from his home, according to police.

A second officer was treated for unspecified minor injuries, and a third officer was treated for smoke inhalation.

Police didn’t immediately release the 23-year-old's name. An investigation is ongoing.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

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