South Jersey police officer will not be charged for killing a man with a knife
Haddon Township Police Officer Luke Falkenberg will not be charged in the killing of Keith Edelin, 46, of Pennsauken, during a reported attempted burglary in 2024.
A Haddon Township police officer will not be criminally charged for killing a man armed with a knife while responding to a reported burglary in 2024.
A state grand jury voted Monday not to file charges against Officer Luke Falkenberg in the shooting death of Keith Edelin, 46, of Pennsauken. The grand jury finished deliberating on Monday after reviewing body-worn camera footage, 911 calls, and witness testimony, among other evidence.
On Nov. 3, 2024, at 1:07 a.m., Falkenberg and three other township officers responded to a 911 call for an attempted burglary at an apartment complex on West Crystal Lake Avenue in the township’s Westmont section.
In the released audio of the 911 call, a woman told the call taker that an unidentified man opened the door to her apartment. The woman said she closed it, but the man was still in the hallway.
Upon arriving, Falkenberg and another officer found trails of blood in the lobby, elevator, and hallway carpets. As the two officers entered the apartment complex stairwell, they encountered Edelin on the top landing armed with a knife, prosecutors said.
According to video captured by police body-worn cameras, Falkenberg and his partner spoke with Edelin for two minutes, including several commands from Falkenberg to Edelin to “drop the knife.”
“You’re hurt, let us help you,” Falkenberg can be heard saying in the footage released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). “Listen, man, I just want to help you. OK? That’s all I’m trying to do.”
Eventually, Edelin advanced down the stairs toward Falkenberg, who was standing a few feet from Edelin. Falkenberg then fired his handgun four times, striking Edelin. Medical personnel took Edelin to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead one hour later.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is required to conduct investigations into a person’s death that occurs during law enforcement encounters. These investigations must be presented to a grand jury to determine if criminal charges should be filed against an officer in question.
According to the attorney general’s office, the investigation is still ongoing and no further information is available.
Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.
