"I knew something big was going on if I'm seeing all these cop cars coming to the station rather than leaving the station," witness Deborah Nabosse said.
It was around 4:00 p.m. when investigators say the chief, who is also serving as town administrator in the small Jersey community, was inside the tax collector's office.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office says a child, described as a preteen, somehow got his hand on the chief's holstered service weapon and fired a shot.
The child's parent had business in the tax office.
"Someone was able to get a gun when they shouldn't have had it in the first place, now an accident happened because of it," Nabosse said.
Nabosse and her boss, Steve Harris of Harris Automotive Group, were next door when they saw the police and medical response.
"We were a little bit nervous for a little bit that maybe there was something going on and someone was running around with a gun so we all came back inside," Harris said.
Chief Nucera was rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
At the municipal building, the Action Cam spotted Mayor Stephen Benowitz and Deputy Mayor Jim Cann after the shooting, but township officials were told by legal counsel not to publicly talk about the incident.
"Bordentown Township is a great township and we just hope that he's okay and it was an accident and that's all," Harris said.
Action News has learned Chief Nucera has been with the police department for 32 years, 7 of those as chief.
There's no word on when he's expected to be released from the hospital.
