Authorities say an off-duty Sussex County police officer died after he was accidentally shot while hunting.

The county prosecutor’s office says 38-year-old Hamburg Patrolman Jason Franco was hunting deer with a family member in Wantage on Tuesday when he was struck by a shotgun blast.

First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller told NJ Advance Media the investigation suggests it was a “tragic accident.”

Authorities have not released the name of the relative.

Franco worked for the William Paterson University police department before he was hired by Hamburg in 2018.