May 2, 1973: The Exit 9 Shootout

Trooper Werner Foerster

May 2, 1973: A shootout between State Troopers and members of the Black Liberation Army -- an offshoot of the Black Panther Party -- at Exit 9 on the New Jersey Turnpike, in East Brunswick, leads to the death of Trooper Werner Foerster. He was 35. The adjoining overpass of New Jersey Route 18 has been named for him.

Werner Foerster Overpass, from the northbound lanes

Also involved in the shootout was Trooper James Harper, who was wounded; and BLA members Sundiata Acoli, Zayd Malik Shakur, and his wife, Assata Shakur. Zayd Shakur was killed, and Assata was wounded. The BLA members had been financing their activities by robbing banks and drug dealers, sometimes killing the dealers.

Zayd, born James Coston, was a friend of Alice Faye Williams, who renamed herself Afeni Shakur in his honor. Zayd and Assata became godfather and godmother to Afeni's son, the eventual rapper and actor Tupac Shakur.

Acoli, formerly named Clark Squire, and Mrs. Shakur, born JoAnne Byron and formerly using her named name JoAnne Chesimard, were convicted of having a role in Foerster's murder. In 1979, allies aided Mrs. Shakur in escaping from prison and fleeing to Cuba. In 2013, she became the 1st woman ever added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list, as part of Foerster’s murder, even though there's no evidence that she ever held a gun in the shootout. As of May 2, 2022, she is believed to still be living in Cuba.

A 1987 photo, in front of the Havana skyline

At the time of the shootout, my family had just moved to East Brunswick, 5 miles away. Eventually, we lived just 1 mile away.

UPDATE: On May 10, 2022, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered that Acoli, 85 years old, be released from prison. Assata Shakur died in Havana on September 25, 2025, at 78, after a long illness, according to the Cuban Foreign Ministry. She had beaten the U.S. government's attempts to have her extradited.

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May 2, 1973 was a Wednesday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Kansas City Royals, 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. Paul Splittorff outpitched Doc Medich. Horace Clarke went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs, to no avail.

* The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-1 at Shea Stadium. Ross Grimsley outpitched Tom Seaver. Johnny Bench, Pete Rose and Dave Concepción hit home runs. For the Mets, Bud Harrelson went 3-for-3 with a walk, and Willie Mays went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 6-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Luis Tiant went the distance for the win. Orlando Cepeda hit a home run. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-4 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Rookie Mike Schmidt went 1-for-4.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-2 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Hank Aaron went 2-for-4, but neither hit was a home run. He then had 680 of them for his career.

* The California Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Art Kusnyer doubled home the winning run in the top of the 12th inning, off Lerrin LaGrow, wiping out 11 innings of good pitching from Mickey Lolich. Nolan Ryan went the distance for the win, striking out 7 -- but allowing 10 hits and walking 8. This was early in the Ryan legend. Frank Robinson went 1-for-5 for the Angels.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Wilbur Wood threw his knuckleball for a 6-hit shutout, outpitching Jim Palmer. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium. The Brewer bullpen melted down in the top of the 10th, including allowing a home run by Gene Tenace. Reggie Jackson went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, and was hit with a pitch.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-4 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Another extra-inning bullpen collapse, as the Indians scored 4 runs in the top of the 10th. Harmon Killebrew went 2-for-5, and Rod Carew appeared as a pinch-hitter, drawing a walk.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres, 5-4 at San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Lou Brock went 2-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Joe Torre went 2-for-4. Bob Gibson not only won the game, but went 2-for-3.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 2-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Willie Stargell went 0-for-3 with a walk. Willie McCovey went 1-for-3 with a walk.

Football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 1 and 2. The New York Knicks would beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. The American Basketball Association Finals were between Games 2 and 3. The Indiana Pacers would beat the Kentucky Colonels in 7 games.

The Stanley Cup Finals were between Games 2 and 3. The Montreal Canadiens would beat the Chicago Black Hawks in 6 games. Game 2 of the Avco Cup Finals, the World Hockey Association title, was played: The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets, 7-4 at the Winnipeg Arena.