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Grand Jury

NO CHOICE: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds NO CHOICE: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds
NO Choice: Police Justified Shooting Knife-Wielding NJ Man, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: Police were justified in shooting a New Jersey man seen on bodycam video charging at an officer with a knife, a grand jury investigation required by state law found. Luke Mendez, 26, had his wrapped around the knife handle as he barreled down the steps of an Old Bridge home last April 24. Mendez was only two steps from the landing -- less than three feet from an Old Bridge officer -- when he left police no choice. Mendez was pronounced dead at a local hospital about 90 minutes later. Grand jurors reviewed various evidence but didn't really need any more than the bodycam video…
CLEARED: Officer Not At Fault In Fatal South Jersey Stolen Motorcycle Crash, Grand Jury Rules CLEARED: Officer Not At Fault In Fatal South Jersey Stolen Motorcycle Crash, Grand Jury Rules
Cleared: Officer Not At Fault In Fatal South Jersey Stolen Motorcycle Crash, Grand Jury Rules UPDATE: A New Jersey police officer did nothing wrong in pursuing a stolen motorcycle whose driver ended up dying in a subsequent crash, a grand jury has ruled. Despite the obvious circumstances, state law and administrative guidelines required New Jersey Attorney Matthew Platkin to investigate the death last April 20 of John R. Nutt, 41, of Mount Laurel because a law enforcement officer was involved. Platkin's office released video last July from both the dashcam of the pursuing officer and the bodycam of a colleague who arrived from the opposite direction after the crash. Also relea…
Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman
Grand Jury Backs Elizabeth Officer Who Stopped Knife-Wielding Man Attempting To Stab Woman 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: An Elizabeth police officer was fully justified in neutralizing an enraged man who went after a woman with a long-bladed knife last summer, a state grand jury has found. New Jersey law requires grand jury reviews of all fatal police shootings even when police bodycam video is clear -- as in this case -- and there's no mistaking the series of events (ditto). This one was literally over in seconds. Officer Steven Lazo and his partner had just responded to a 911 call of an unwanted person involved in a dispute on Amity Street shortly after 8 a.m. July 29, when the incident occurred. …
Heart Disease Aggravated By Meth Use Killed Newark Suspect Following Arrest: Medical Examiner Heart Disease Aggravated By Meth Use Killed Newark Suspect Following Arrest: Medical Examiner
Heart Disease Aggravated By Meth Use Killed Newark Suspect Following Arrest: Medical Examiner It’s unsettling to watch video of a suspect you know has died. The last moments for Raul DeJesus -- who led Newark police on a foot chase before collapsing near Route 280 -- are no exception. Newark police did nothing wrong during the encounter, a grand jury has found. Among the evidence reviewed by the grand jurors are three police bodycams, one of them worn by the officer who began chasing the 43-year-old Newark native on foot after he ran. Two others graphically document the arrest and the moments that followed as highway traffic barreled by. In the end, what killed DeJesus was heart …
Paterson Detective Justified Shooting Gunman Who Opened Fire In Alleyway, NJ Grand Jurors Rule Paterson Detective Justified Shooting Gunman Who Opened Fire In Alleyway, NJ Grand Jurors Rule
Paterson Detective Justified Shooting Gunman Who Opened Fire In Alleyway, NJ Grand Jurors Rule An armed suspect in a dark alley pulled a gun from his sweatshirt pocket, pointed it at a Paterson detective standing a few feet away and pulled the trigger. What Thelonious McKnight, 25, didn’t know was that the gun’s safety was on. He took the safety off, exchanged gunfire with another detective and was shot. The fatal Dec. 29, 2021 police shooting was justified, a state-mandated review by a grand jury has found, authorities reported on Tuesday, Dec. 12. It was earlier that night when a detective watching images from street surveillance cameras at headquarters saw McKnight and another m…
Gunman Killed In Confrontation With Manchester Township Police Gunman Killed In Confrontation With Manchester Township Police
Gunman Killed In Confrontation With Manchester Township Police An armed man was shot and killed by police Tuesday night in Manchester Township, authorities confirmed. The officers had responded to a 911 call on Elizabeth Avenue in the Ocean County township shortly before 8:30 p.m. Nov. 6, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Two of them fired their service weapons, fatally wounding, the gunman after finding him nearly 45 minutes later, the attorney general said Wednesday. "A firearm was recovered near the subject," Platkin added. The man's name was being withheld, at least for the time being. State law and his own guidelines require Pla…
Police Were Justified Killing Fugitive Who Shot Woman In Elmwood Park, Grand Jury Finds Police Were Justified Killing Fugitive Who Shot Woman In Elmwood Park, Grand Jury Finds
Police Were Justified Killing Fugitive Who Shot Woman In Elmwood Park, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: Police were justified in killing an armed ex-con wanted for shooting a New Milford woman in Elmwood Park, a grand jury has found. James Allandale, 61, immediately opened fire on officers who found him at the Knights Inn Pinebook on Route 46 in Montville this past New Year's Eve. He was shot and killed in the exchange of gunfire. Allandale -- whose real name is James Allan -- became the target of an intense manhunt after he shot Cynthia Greco of New Milford at 113 Lincoln Avenue shortly before 5:30 p.m. Dec. 27, 2022. The home is owned by Allandale's girlfriend, Lisa Dolack, who …
Asbury Park PD Not Responsible For Death Of Attempted Murder Suspect, Teen In Crash: Grand Jury Asbury Park PD Not Responsible For Death Of Attempted Murder Suspect, Teen In Crash: Grand Jury
Asbury Park PD Not Responsible For Death Of Attempted Murder Suspect, Teen In Crash: Grand Jury UPDATE: Asbury Park police bear no responsibility for the deaths of a fleeing suspect and a teenage companion in a crash, a state grand jury found. Dishawn Bellamy, 32, and a 17-year-old boy were in a Ford Explorer that sped past two officers headed toward the sound of gunfire in the area of Atkins Avenue and Boston Way in separate cars shortly before 7:30 p.m. on June 5, 2022. One of the officers recognized Bellamy, who "was known to have an active arrest warrant for a charge of attempted murder," New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Both officers activated the emergency ligh…
HERO: Jersey City Officer Justified In Gunning Down Suspect Who Shot Woman, Grand Jury Finds HERO: Jersey City Officer Justified In Gunning Down Suspect Who Shot Woman, Grand Jury Finds
Hero: Jersey City Officer Justified In Gunning Down Suspect Who Shot Woman, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A heroic Jersey City police officer was justified in gunning down a man who'd just deliberately shot a woman in the chest during a domestic dispute, a state-mandated review by a grand jury has found. Officers responding to a 911 call just before midnight May 24, 2022 found city resident Joseph Robertson, 59, crossing Communipaw Avenue at the corner of West Side Avenue with the female victim. Video recorded at the scene shows the officers approaching Robertson and ordering him to drop a gun he was carrying. Robertson instead grabs the woman, puts her in a headlock and points th…
Police Fully Justified In Shooting West New York Man Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Rules Police Fully Justified In Shooting West New York Man Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Rules
Police Fully Justified In Shooting West New York Man Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Rules It was as open-and-shut as a police shooting can possibly get. That’s why a state grand jury found that police were more than justified in shooting a West New York gunman who’d just wounded one officer while firing point-blank at them with a gun in each hand. Dramatic police bodycam footage shows Kevin Colindres, 32, opening fire after emerging from his 59th Street home on June 3, 2022. In a clip recorded through the front-door window, Colindres is seen entering the vestibule in a t-shirt and shorts with both hands behind his back as police investigate a domestic violence call. He sudden…
Officer Not At Fault In Death Of Pedestrian Hit By Police Car On Route 18, NJ Grand Jury Finds Officer Not At Fault In Death Of Pedestrian Hit By Police Car On Route 18, NJ Grand Jury Finds
Officer Not At Fault In Death Of Pedestrian Hit By Police Car On Route 18, NJ Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A state grand jury has cleared an East Brunswick police officer who was responding to a crash when he struck and killed a 55-year-old Edison man as he stood on darkened Route 18 in the middle of the night. Julius Filep had gotten out of his disabled car after it struck debris scattered across the highway when a sleeping driver slammed into a utility pole on the northbound side shortly after 3:30 a.m. Aug. 1, 2021, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. A third vehicle, as well as an 18-wheel truck, drove over the debris, igniting fiery, arching electrical wires, the attor…
Officers Justified In Downing Gunman In Jersey Shore Shootout, Grand Jury Finds Officers Justified In Downing Gunman In Jersey Shore Shootout, Grand Jury Finds
Officers Justified In Downing Gunman In Jersey Shore Shootout, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: Police in Long Branch were justified in taking out a gunman who wounded a detective, started a fire and then came out shooting while trying to flee with an infant in his arms, a grand jury has found. New Jersey law requires that all civilian deaths involving police be investigated and presented to a grand jury no matter the circumstances. Grand jurors in this case had plenty of evidence supporting the Nov. 6, 2021 shooting death of Mark D. Walker II, 34, of Woodbridge, Virginia, after a nine-hour standoff. A Monmouth County prosecutor's detective was trying to serve a warrant that …
NJ Attorney General: Agitated Paterson Man Seized By Police Died Of Drug OD NJ Attorney General: Agitated Paterson Man Seized By Police Died Of Drug OD
NJ Attorney General: Agitated Paterson Man Seized By Police Died Of Drug OD UPDATE: An agitated suspect who died while being taken into custody by Paterson police was the victim of a drug overdose, authorities said. The autopsy results were among the evidence reviewed by a grand jury that found police bore no responsibility for the death of Jose Gonzalez, 41, on Oct. 2, 2021, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced on Monday, Dec. 5. Police body camera video previously released by Platkin's office showed Gonzalez writhing uncontrollably, falling down and then going limp while being handcuffed by Paterson police that fateful day. His shorts were s…
Carjacker Shot By Paterson Detective Was Armed With Blank Pistol: NJ Attorney General Carjacker Shot By Paterson Detective Was Armed With Blank Pistol: NJ Attorney General
Carjacker Shot By Paterson Detective Was Armed With Blank Pistol: NJ Attorney General A 33-year-old motorist shot and killed by Paterson police was armed with what police later found was a blank pistol as he tried to seize other vehicles after fleeing a crash on foot, authorities said. Hui Zhang, 33, of Pensacola, FL, was identified as the man who died in the police-involved shooting on Oct. 10. Zhang was involved in a collision in the area of Straight and Van Houten streets at 4:12 p.m. that day, according to a release from New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin's office. Zhang "ran from the scene" and "attempted to enter multiple other vehicles, armed with what a…
Police-Involved Shooting Reported In Englewood Police-Involved Shooting Reported In Englewood
Police-Involved Shooting Reported In Englewood Police responding to a stabbing in Englewood were involved in a fatal shooting, according to multiple sources. CPR was in progress as a shooting victim was taken to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in grave condition with a gunshot wound in the chest following the incident on West Englewood Avenue off the corner of Reade Street shortly before 8:30 a.m. Saturday, they said. He was pronounced dead at EHMC at 9:17 a.m., according to the office of Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin in Trenton. His identity was temporarily being withheld. At least two stabbing victims we…
Body Of Man Chased By Police Pulled From Passaic River Two Days Later Body Of Man Chased By Police Pulled From Passaic River Two Days Later
Body Of Man Chased By Police Pulled From Passaic River Two Days Later The death of a man whose body was recovered from the Passaic River following a police chase was being investigated by county and state authorities, a family member said she was told. Meanwhile, she and other loved ones wait in anguish for answers. Everyone agrees that the body retrieved from the river below Route 21 Monday evening was that of Thadius Wilder, a 35-year-old father of five from Passaic. Wilder, who had a history of drug arrests, was last seen running from police on that very same highway on Saturday, said his sister, Amber Wilder-Hunter. Wilder-Hunter filed a missing person…
Grand Jury: Morris Police Sergeant Justified Shooting Man Pointing Airsoft Gun Grand Jury: Morris Police Sergeant Justified Shooting Man Pointing Airsoft Gun
Grand Jury: Morris Police Sergeant Justified Shooting Man Pointing Airsoft Gun UPDATE: A police sergeant was justified in shooting a Morris Township man who pointed an airsoft gun at him during a domestic disturbance call, a state grand jury has ruled. Timothy O’Shea, 24, was bleeding from the neck and wrists when officers responding to a 911 call found him in the driveway of his Fairchild Avenue home on July 14, 2020, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said Tuesday, April 12. Several responding officers -- from the township, Morris Plains and Morristown – had gotten the older female caller to safety when they encountered O’Shea, the attorney genera…
CLEAN SHOOT: Passaic Sheriff's Sergeants Legally Killed Suspect Who Pulled, Pointed Gun CLEAN SHOOT: Passaic Sheriff's Sergeants Legally Killed Suspect Who Pulled, Pointed Gun
Clean Shoot: Passaic Sheriff's Sergeants Legally Killed Suspect Who Pulled, Pointed Gun A trio of Passaic County sheriff’s sergeants were justified in shooting a man who’d pulled a gun and pointed it directly at them following a foot chase in Paterson, a state grand jury has found. A gunshot detection sensor brought city police and sheriff’s officers to Park Avenue near Straight Street shortly after 1 a.m. on May 23, 2020. No victim was found, but police did recover three 9mm casings. A short time later, sheriff’s Sgts. Americo Escobar, Helman Fava and Jose Vargas spotted a large group of people gathered at Summit Street and Park Avenue. Attention there was focused on a man …
Paterson Police Justified In Shooting Agitated Gunman Who Pointed Weapon At Them: Grand Jury Paterson Police Justified In Shooting Agitated Gunman Who Pointed Weapon At Them: Grand Jury
Paterson Police Justified In Shooting Agitated Gunman Who Pointed Weapon At Them: Grand Jury Paterson police were justified in shooting a gunman after he refused to drop his weapon and then raised it in a confrontation, a grand jury has found. Bystanders looked on in horror as Luan Agolli, 42, of Pequannock lifted the gun several times, refusing to drop it, before police shot and killed him as he paced the intersection of Carroll and Harrison streets on April 23, 2020. Video obtained by Daily Voice also captured the fatal confrontation. Agolli held the weapon with both hands and pointed it at the converging officers several times. "I'm giving him all these opportunities," an off…
AG: Somerset County Man Shot By Police Came At Them With Large Knife AG: Somerset County Man Shot By Police Came At Them With Large Knife
AG: Somerset County Man Shot By Police Came At Them With Large Knife A man shot and killed by local police in Somerset County came at officers with a large knife, New Jersey's top law enforcement official said Wednesday. Joshua Mathis 19, confronted Hillsborough police who responded to a report of a man with a gun at an apartment on Corporal Langon Way shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. Mathis "was holding a large knife" and "advanced toward the officers with the knife" in the apartment, Bruck said. An officer fired his service weapon, stopping Mathis, he said. Police and EMS workers rendered first aid bef…
Man, 20, Shot By Police In NJ Backhoe Rampage ID'd Man, 20, Shot By Police In NJ Backhoe Rampage ID'd
Man, 20, Shot By Police In NJ Backhoe Rampage ID'd Authorities on Wednesday identified a rampaging man who was shot and killed by a police officer in South Jersey after he damaged two police vehicles, an ambulance and an occupied civilian sedan with a hijacked backhoe. Joshua Gonzalez, 20, of Millville, kept police at bay for nearly a half-hour during the rampage in Vineland, which began around 5 a.m. Dec. 18, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. Video shows one police vehicle being smashed and another being knocked onto its side. An ambulance was toppled, and a sedan was repeatedly struck with a female driver inside. …
South Jersey Man Shot, Killed In Encounter With Police South Jersey Man Shot, Killed In Encounter With Police
South Jersey Man Shot, Killed In Encounter With Police A man was shot and killed during an encounter with police early Saturday in South Jersey, authorities confirmed. Three Vineland police officers sustained minor injuries during the 5:30 a.m. incident at the Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park in Cumberland County, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. One of the officers "fired his service weapon, fatally wounding the man," Bruck said. "First aid was rendered by officers and emergency medical personnel. The man was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 5:48 a.m." The identities of the man and the officers were being wit…
HIGHWAY HORROR: Two Children Killed When Wrong-Way Vehicle Slams Into Police Car In NJ HIGHWAY HORROR: Two Children Killed When Wrong-Way Vehicle Slams Into Police Car In NJ
Highway Horror: Two Children Killed When Wrong-Way Vehicle Slams Into Police Car In NJ Two children were killed when a wrong-way vehicle collided with a police car at a Route 1 intersection in Middlesex County late on Thanksgiving Day, authorities confirmed. The driver of the civilian vehicle slammed into an Old Bridge Township police cruiser containing two officers and a civilian at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 130 in North Brunswick shortly after 11:30 p.m., Acting New Jersey Attorney Andrew J. Bruck said Friday. "Both children in the civilian vehicle died from injuries sustained in the crash," Bruck said. "Both officers and the civilian within the police vehicle s…
NJ Attorney General: Man Shot Dead At Hillsborough Home By Police Responding To 911 Call NJ Attorney General: Man Shot Dead At Hillsborough Home By Police Responding To 911 Call
NJ Attorney General: Man Shot Dead At Hillsborough Home By Police Responding To 911 Call A man was killed in a police-involved shooting at a Hillsborough home, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Township officers had responded to a 911 emergency call at the Piedmont Path residence shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. An officer discharged his service weapon during an encounter at the home, Bruck said. The resident, who wasn't immediately identified, was mortally wounded, he said. Officers and emergency medical personnel rendered first aid to the resident before he was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brun…
Asbury Park Officer Backed In Shooting To Stop Man From Stabbing Colleague With Scissors Asbury Park Officer Backed In Shooting To Stop Man From Stabbing Colleague With Scissors
Asbury Park Officer Backed In Shooting To Stop Man From Stabbing Colleague With Scissors An Asbury Park police officer was justified in shooting an emotionally disturbed man to stop him from stabbing another officer with a pair of scissors, a state grand jury found. Among the evidence panel members reviewed was clear, graphic police bodycam video showing the fatal confrontation from July 23, 2019. Officers had responded to a call shortly before 10:30 p.m. of a man who was “behaving erratically” and threatened to “commit violence against another person” at the Asbury Inn on 7th Avenue, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. They and paramedics first tried to t…
Grand Jury: Trenton PD Had To Shoot To Stop Man Pointing Gun Grand Jury: Trenton PD Had To Shoot To Stop Man Pointing Gun
Grand Jury: Trenton PD Had To Shoot To Stop Man Pointing Gun Trenton police were justified in shooting a man who pointed an airsoft gun at them, a grand jury has found. Two separate 911 calls of a suicidal man threatening to harm himself came in to police on March 14, 2019, state Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. The responding officers were joined by two others who’d been called to the same North Olden Avenue more than four hours earlier, he said. “If you come in here, I’ll shoot you,” Jason Williams, 42, told the officers, Bruck said. “Concerned for Mr. Williams’ safety, officers opened the door to check on him,” the attorney general…
Beloved Pet Services Company Owner From Clifton, 31, Struck, Killed, Arrest Made Beloved Pet Services Company Owner From Clifton, 31, Struck, Killed, Arrest Made
Beloved Pet Services Company Owner From Clifton, 31, Struck, Killed, Arrest Made Detectives arrested a driver who they said struck and killed a beloved pet services company owner outside a Clifton supermarket. Chloe Villar-Severino, 31, was struck by an SUV in the parking lot of the Aldi on Lakeview Avenue on Tuesday, authorities said. Villar-Severino, who owned and operated Ruff Lyfe, died the next day at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, they said. “My heart is broken to a million pieces on the passing of my beautiful daughter,” wrote her mother, Esther Velez. Digna A. Lazala, 63, of Randolph, was driving the 2010 Honda Pilot that struck Villar-Seve…
NJ Attorney General: Man On Darkened Highway Struck, Killed By Police Car NJ Attorney General: Man On Darkened Highway Struck, Killed By Police Car
NJ Attorney General: Man On Darkened Highway Struck, Killed By Police Car A man was in the roadway when he was struck and killed on Route 18 by a police car before dawn Sunday, authorities confirmed. The East Brunswick officer was on duty and in uniform when the marked vehicle struck the man in front of the AAA Insurance center on the northbound highway at 3:35 a.m., Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Sunday evening. The man, whose identity was temporarily being withheld, was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at 4:13 a.m., the attorney general said. State law and his own guidelines require Bruck's office to investiga…
Grand Jury: NJ Officer Justifiably Shot, Killed Knife-Wielding Man Who Stabbed Woman Grand Jury: NJ Officer Justifiably Shot, Killed Knife-Wielding Man Who Stabbed Woman
Grand Jury: NJ Officer Justifiably Shot, Killed Knife-Wielding Man Who Stabbed Woman A Newark man who’d just stabbed a woman was justifiably shot and killed by an Orange police officer after he charged at police with the knife, a grand jury found. Jamahl Smith, 46, refused repeated commands by responding officers to drop the knife on the third floor of the Oakwood Towers on Oakwood Avenue around 3 p.m. June 13, 2019, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Wednesday. Instead, he “continued to advance toward the officers,” Bruck said. Officer Willie Jones fired his service weapon three times, stopping Smith, the attorney general said. The officers rendered …
Secaucus PD Properly Handled Suicidal Gunman Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Finds Secaucus PD Properly Handled Suicidal Gunman Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Finds
Secaucus PD Properly Handled Suicidal Gunman Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Finds As expected, a grand jury found that Secaucus police bore no responsibility in the death of a gunman who exchanged shots with them before turning the weapon on himself, authorities announced Tuesday. Officers responding to a shots-fired call in the 300 block of Sea Isle Key in the Harmon Cove development on Dec. 1, 2019 found town resident Anthony Rosso, 68, armed with a handgun, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said. Rosso opened fire at the officers, who shot back, grazing his arm, Bruck said. He then shot himself in the head, the attorney general said. Rosso was prono…
Handgun Recovered From Man Killed In Sussex County Police Shooting, State AG Says Handgun Recovered From Man Killed In Sussex County Police Shooting, State AG Says
Handgun Recovered From Man Killed In Sussex County Police Shooting, State AG Says A man armed with a semi-automatic handgun was killed in a police-involved July 4th shooting in Newton, the state's top law enforcement official confirmed Monday. Three uniformed police officers in the Sussex County town were responding to a 911 call when they had an encounter with the man outside a Clive Place home around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said a preliminary investigation found. "Two Newton police officers fired their service weapons, fatally wounding the man," Grewal said. "First aid was rendered by officers. The individual was pronounced deceased at the s…