Man charged with attempted murder after Shore cop struck by vehicle

An Ocean County man is facing numerous charges after a police officer was struck and injured by a car that authorities say was driven by the target of an undercover drug investigation.

The Toms River Police Department detective was hit around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. He approached the vehicle in a shopping center in Lakewood after officers observed drug activity in a parking lot over the border in Toms River, according to prosecutors.

Authorities say the driver, 48-year-old Brian Swain of Toms River, accelerated and hit the officer, sending him onto the hood and into the car’s windshield.

The officer’s name was not released. He was treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries.

Swain was arrested and later charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, prosecutors say. He is currently lodged at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River awaiting a detention hearing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.