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Police Misconduct

NJ Police Officers Cleared Of Misconduct In Civil Suit That 'Cost Taxpayers Thousands' NJ Police Officers Cleared Of Misconduct In Civil Suit That 'Cost Taxpayers Thousands'
NJ Police Officers Cleared Of Misconduct In Civil Suit That 'Cost Taxpayers Thousands' A lawsuit that allegedly cost taxpayers thousands was dismissed against an Atlantic County police department accused of misconduct during a domestic violence arrest, authorities said. A jury ruled in favor of three police officers with the Egg Harbor Township Police Department on Wednesday, Feb. 14, according to court documents and a police department news release. The civil suit was dismissed by the jury on Thursday, Feb. 15. Officers Nathan Lahr, Patrick Daly, and Katrina Cantell responded to a domestic violence report at a home on Primrose Circle on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, …
NJ Police Chief To Retire After Investigation Into Argument With Sergeant Caught On Camera NJ Police Chief To Retire After Investigation Into Argument With Sergeant Caught On Camera
NJ Police Chief To Retire After Investigation Into Argument With Sergeant Caught On Camera The head of a Jersey Shore police department will step down about three months after a heated interaction between him and one of his sergeants during a crash investigation, officials said. Bradley Beach police Chief Leonard Guida will retire on Friday, Mar. 1, according to a Monday, Feb. 26 statement from Mayor Larry Fox. The mayor said Chief Guida's retirement was six months earlier than the borough anticipated. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office investigated the exchange between Chief Guida and Sgt. William Major, which happened on Thursday, Nov. 9. At a council meetin…
NJ Police Chief Who Suspended Sergeant During DWI Arrest Center Of Investigation (VIDEO) NJ Police Chief Who Suspended Sergeant During DWI Arrest Center Of Investigation (VIDEO)
NJ Police Chief Who Suspended Sergeant During DWI Arrest Center Of Investigation (Video) A heated interaction between the chief and sergeant of a Jersey Shore police department in November 2023 has become the center of an investigation, Daily Voice has learned.  The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday, Feb. 21 that it's investigated the exchange between Bradley Beach Police Chief Leonard Guida and Sgt. William Major, which transpired on Thursday, Nov. 9. Public information officer Mark Spivey confirmed the investigation to the Daily Voice in an emailed statement. Bradley Beach (NJ) police Chief Leonard Guida. Facebook - Bradley Beach Police …
Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (UPDATE) Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (UPDATE)
Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (Update) In his first extended public comment since claims of misconduct at the local police academy were revealed by Daily Voice last month, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed that an investigation by his office is underway. “We take all allegations of misconduct seriously, and we immediately began an investigation” into the allegations at the Bergen County Police Academy in Mahwah after being notified of the alleged improprieties. All of the academy’s instructors except one were relieved of their duties by the New Jersey Police Training Commission (PTC) amid the accusations, Daily Voi…
UPDATE: Paterson Police Officer Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Man In Back As He Ran UPDATE: Paterson Police Officer Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Man In Back As He Ran
Update: Paterson Police Officer Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Man In Back As He Ran "Drop the gun!" a Paterson police officer shouts several times as he chases a fleeing man down a city street. Suddenly, two shots ring out and Khalif Cooper falls face down in the street. Officer Jerry Moravek, who fired the shots, handcuffs Cooper, 28, who is heard on a bodycam video telling him, "I don't got no gun." A grand jury agreed. Moravek was indicted in Trenton on criminal charges this week for shooting the unarmed Cooper, who was left paralyzed, in June 2022, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced on Thursday, Dec. 7. “Deadly force against a fleeing suspect must be u…
Man Struck, Killed By Police Car On South Jersey Highway: NJ AG Man Struck, Killed By Police Car On South Jersey Highway: NJ AG
Man Struck, Killed By Police Car On South Jersey Highway: NJ AG A man was struck and killed by a police car in South Jersey before dawn on Thanksgiving, authorities said. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office initially withheld the names of the victim and of the officer driving the vehicle following the crash on the White Horse Pike (Route 30) near Whispering Pine Drive in the Atco section of Camden County's Waterford Township at 2:19 a.m. Nov. 23. State law and his own guidelines require the attorney general to review any and all deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capac…
'Improper, Unlawful': Trooper Punched Handcuffed Drunk Woman In Face, NJ Attorney General Says 'Improper, Unlawful': Trooper Punched Handcuffed Drunk Woman In Face, NJ Attorney General Says
'Improper, Unlawful': Trooper Punched Handcuffed Drunk Woman In Face, NJ Attorney General Says A New Jersey State Police trooper was charged with punching a handcuffed woman in the face as she sat in the back of a cruiser awaiting a medical evaluation. Nicolas J. Hogan, 28, of Gibbstown, was among a group of troopers who responded to a report of a trespasser at a home in Cumberland County’s Upper Deerfield Township around 1:30 a.m. Sept. 7, 2022. Two troopers found the victim walking in the middle of the road drunk. She needed a medical evaluation, so the troopers kept her detained -- but not under arrest -- and called for a medical unit, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platk…
'Want To Feel Pain?': NJ Cop Who Pepper-Sprayed Handcuffed Driver 2X Pleads Guilty, Feds Say 'Want To Feel Pain?': NJ Cop Who Pepper-Sprayed Handcuffed Driver 2X Pleads Guilty, Feds Say
'Want To Feel Pain?': NJ Cop Who Pepper-Sprayed Handcuffed Driver 2X Pleads Guilty, Feds Say A South Jersey police officer admitted in federal court to using excessive force when he twice pepper-sprayed a drunken but cooperative driver while handcuffed in 2017, authorities announced. John Grier III, 51, of Cedarville — who was indicted in 2021 — pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in Camden in federal court on Thursday, Oct. 5, to a superseding information charging him with one count of violating an individual’s civil rights, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. A sworn Bridgeton police officer since 2004, Grier's admission is in connection with an…
Sussex County Police Officer Stole $1.2K Item While On Duty: Prosecutor Sussex County Police Officer Stole $1.2K Item While On Duty: Prosecutor
Sussex County Police Officer Stole $1.2K Item While On Duty: Prosecutor A police officer in Sussex County has been charged in an on-duty theft, authorities said. Konstantinos Protogeropoulos, 26, a Hardyston police officer, stole a "certain movable property valued at $1,225," Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said. Taggart did not say what the item was, but that he knowingly deprived that person thereof on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Protogeropoulos was charged with third-degree theft and second-degree official misconduct, Taggart said on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Summer Shootings In Paterson Plummet Amid NJ Police Takeover Summer Shootings In Paterson Plummet Amid NJ Police Takeover
Summer Shootings In Paterson Plummet Amid NJ Police Takeover Facts don't lie. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin promised a reduction in crime in Paterson following the second-ever state takeover of a local police department in New Jersey's history. So far, he's delivering. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day -- a time when America's cities ordinarily suffer the most violence -- shootings in the Silk City plummeted by 41.2% compared with the same period last year, state officials reported. In that time, Paterson has also had the fewest summer shooting victims in five years, they said. Reported robberies decreased by nearly 38%. Aggravated assault…
Fired Wayne Officer Claiming Retaliation, Sexual Harassment Seeks Reinstatement Fired Wayne Officer Claiming Retaliation, Sexual Harassment Seeks Reinstatement
Fired Wayne Officer Claiming Retaliation, Sexual Harassment Seeks Reinstatement A former Wayne police officer said she was fired for filing a sexual harassment lawsuit. Now, she wants her job back. In her most recent lawsuit filed in Passaic County Superior Court Friday, Aug. 2, Christie Ohlendorf is seeking to have her job restored. Ohlendorf says she's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, related to being a female police officer in Wayne. "Our client was illegally terminated at her internal affairs hearing as direct retaliation for her filing her civil lawsuit as against Wayne," the former officer's attorney, Patrick Toscano sai…
NJ Correctional Officer Indicted In Beating Of Resident Who Died NJ Correctional Officer Indicted In Beating Of Resident Who Died
NJ Correctional Officer Indicted In Beating Of Resident Who Died A correctional police officer at New Jersey’s maximum-security facility for sex offenders was indicted for his role in the beating of a resident who died days later of a stroke. Giuseppe "Joey: Mandara, 54, of Brick Township “abandoned his equipment, including keys and radio, and thereafter used excessive or unlawful force” on Darrell Smith at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Middlesex County, the indictment says. A grand jury in Trenton returned the indictment charging Mandara with misconduct last week, according to a statement issued by state Attorney General Matthew J. Platki…
Suspended NJ Police Chief Indicted As Sexual Predator, New Charges Added: State AG Suspended NJ Police Chief Indicted As Sexual Predator, New Charges Added: State AG
Suspended NJ Police Chief Indicted As Sexual Predator, New Charges Added: State AG A local New Jersey police chief who’d already been charged with sexually preying on women is facing new allegations, the state’s top cop announced on Tuesday. Following his suspension amid sexual assault allegations, Manville Police Chief Thomas Herbst wrongfully held onto his badge, then displayed it as if was still on active duty to a police officer who’d pulled him over late this past January, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The charge was contained in an eight-count indictment returned by a state grand jury that focused mostly on what the attorney general called “sexually pred…
BOMBSHELL: NJ Jail Officers Charged With Manslaughter In Inmate's Death, Local Police Involved BOMBSHELL: NJ Jail Officers Charged With Manslaughter In Inmate's Death, Local Police Involved
Bombshell: NJ Jail Officers Charged With Manslaughter In Inmate's Death, Local Police Involved UPDATE: What began as the investigation of three correctional officers following the death of a New Jersey inmate took a dramatic turn with manslaughter charges filed against two of them and new counts brought against five police officers who dropped him off at their jail. A state grand jury in Trenton charged Atlantic County Correctional Sgt. Eric Tornblom and Correctional Officer Mark Jenigen with manslaughter in the September 2019 death of Mario Terruso, 41, of Mays Landing, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The grand jury also returned charges against five Hamilton T…
Wrong Home: Police Raided NJ Family's Home At Gunpoint In Address Mixup, Suit Says Wrong Home: Police Raided NJ Family's Home At Gunpoint In Address Mixup, Suit Says
Wrong Home: Police Raided NJ Family's Home At Gunpoint In Address Mixup, Suit Says A family has filed a lawsuit against the Bloomfield Township after its police officers apparently wrongfully raided their home at gunpoint in response to reports of a murder suicide. Authorities eventually realized they had the wrong address, the lawsuit reads. The suit was filed by Emmanuel Martinez, Solamyra Criado and their child last month in Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County. They are seeking unspecified damages.  Police broke down the family's door around 7 a.m. on March 29, 2021, entering the home with their guns drawn and pointed at the family, according to the lawsuit…
Jersey City Officer Fired For Hitting Jogger Hopes To Be Reinstated, Lawyer Says Jersey City Officer Fired For Hitting Jogger Hopes To Be Reinstated, Lawyer Says
Jersey City Officer Fired For Hitting Jogger Hopes To Be Reinstated, Lawyer Says Supporters are rallying for a Jersey City police officer who they say was unfairly fired for hitting a jogger while responding to an emergency in February 2022. A GoFundMe for officer Edwin Hernandez says he is suffering "extreme punishment" as a result of his termination. Dashcam footage published by Real Garden State captured the Feb. 8, 2022 incident in which a jogger, later identified as Douglas Salom, ran directly in front of Hernandez's Crown Victoria on Jersey Avenue. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Real Garden State (@rea…
BETRAYER OF THE BADGE: NJ Officer Admits Using Authority On Duty To Pressure Women Into Sex BETRAYER OF THE BADGE: NJ Officer Admits Using Authority On Duty To Pressure Women Into Sex
Betrayer OF THE Badge: NJ Officer Admits Using Authority On Duty To Pressure Women Into Sex UPDATE: A Vernon Township police officer who was accused of groping a Bergen County woman during a domestic violence call admitted abusing his authority on duty to force women to submit to his sexual advances. Emanuel Rivera, 38, acknowledged the “imbalance of power” between him and the women he was hitting on, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said in a joint statement. This left them unable to consent, he admitted, because of the “coercive, intimidating nature of such requests” coming from a uniformed police officer," the s…
UPDATE: Paterson Officer Charged By State Authorities For Shooting Fleeing Man In Back UPDATE: Paterson Officer Charged By State Authorities For Shooting Fleeing Man In Back
Update: Paterson Officer Charged By State Authorities For Shooting Fleeing Man In Back "Drop the gun!" a Paterson police officer shouted several times as he chased a fleeing man down a city street before dawn this past June. Suddenly, two shots rang out and unarmed 28-year-old Khalif Cooper fell face down in the street. Officer Jerry Moravek, who fired the shots, handcuffed Cooper, who is heard on police bodycam video telling him, "I don't got no gun." He didn't have one, said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin in announcing on Monday, Feb. 6 that his office had charged Moravek with aggravated assault and official misconduct. Moravek, 40, violated the state's …
Disgraced Ex-Paterson Officer Charged With Assault Of Second Defenseless Suspect Disgraced Ex-Paterson Officer Charged With Assault Of Second Defenseless Suspect
Disgraced Ex-Paterson Officer Charged With Assault Of Second Defenseless Suspect A former Paterson police officer already awaiting trial for beating one suspect over the head with a flashlight has been charged with doing it to another. Spencer Finch, 46, of Mahwah, broke a victim’s nose, knocked out two of his teeth and chipped another outside a Quick’s Food Store on Dec. 22, 2018, an indictment returned by a grand jury in Paterson alleges. In a subsequent use-of-force report, Finch said he was arresting the robbery suspect when he “became belligerent with police and shouted profanities,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said in announcing the indictment on W…
Saddle Brook Police Chief Eyes Reinstatement, Restitution After Judge Stops Funeral Escort Case Saddle Brook Police Chief Eyes Reinstatement, Restitution After Judge Stops Funeral Escort Case
Saddle Brook Police Chief Eyes Reinstatement, Restitution After Judge Stops Funeral Escort Case Suspended Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler is seeking reinstatement, and restitution, following a judge's ruling that he was wrongly being prosecuted for assigning police escorts to processions from his family-owned funeral home. And despite having waited 18 months for vindication, Kugler isn’t angry. “I’ve turned the page,” he told Daily Voice. “I’m moving forward and expect to proudly return to be chief of police once again and serve my community and the general public. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” State authorities wrongly applied a borough ordinance meant to keep police …
2 Paterson Officers Suspended Nine Months After Man's Disappearance, Attorney Says 2 Paterson Officers Suspended Nine Months After Man's Disappearance, Attorney Says
2 Paterson Officers Suspended Nine Months After Man's Disappearance, Attorney Says The two Paterson police officers who were the last point of contact with a man before he went missing have been suspended from the force, according to the missing man's attorney. Officers Jacob Feliciano and Dodi Zorilla are off the job for 90 days without pay, after an internal affairs review found that they had violated at least 10 of the department's policies during an interaction with Felix DeJesus, 41, of Haledon, on Feb. 2, says Jeff Patti, a lawyer for DeJesus' family.  According to family members, DeJesus was last seen around 6 p.m. on Feb. 2 near a Union Avenue bodeg…
$1.4M Paid To Suspended NJ Officers Awaiting Trial For No-Show Extra Duty Jobs: Report $1.4M Paid To Suspended NJ Officers Awaiting Trial For No-Show Extra Duty Jobs: Report
$1.4M Paid To Suspended NJ Officers Awaiting Trial For No-Show Extra Duty Jobs: Report Four suspended police officers from Edison were paid $1.4 million during the two years they awaited trial for billing the town for no-show "extra duty" assignments, NJ Advance Media reports. The officers have been on paid suspension ever since, but were put on unpaid leave earlier this month when new indictments were announced against Sgt. Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, 43, of Edison Township, Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson Township, Patrolman Gregory Makras, 38, of Cranford and Sgt. Brian Rossmeyer, 45, of Bridgewater, according to the outlet and Middlesex County Pr…
4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor 4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor
4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor Four suspended police officers from Central Jersey bilked their town for no-show "extra duty" assignments, authorities said. The Edison Police officers were charged with racketeering, bribery, theft, money laundering and witness tampering, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department said on Friday, Oct. 14. They did not say how much taxpayer money was stolen by the former officers. Sergeant Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, 43, of Edison Township, Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson Township, Patrolman Gregory&nbs…
Jury Finds Former Cop Guilty Of Murder In Shooting Of Estranged Wife: Morris County Prosecutor Jury Finds Former Cop Guilty Of Murder In Shooting Of Estranged Wife: Morris County Prosecutor
Jury Finds Former Cop Guilty Of Murder In Shooting Of Estranged Wife: Morris County Prosecutor A jury has found a former Newark police officer guilty of murder in the 2019 shooting of his estranged wife and the attempted murder of her partner in Morris County following an eight-day trial, authorities announced. John Formisano, 52, was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, hindering apprehension or prosecution, official misconduct, and two counts each of child endangerment and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said in a joint release on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Formisano, an Acting Lieutenant, was off-duty …
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says
Video Shows Now-Former Paterson Officer Beating Defenseless Suspect, Prosecutor Says Body camera video proves that a now-former Paterson police officer beat a defenseless suspect with a flashlight and kneed him in the face in an apartment hallway, a grand jury indictment charges. Spencer Finch, 45, of Mahwah filed an official report maintaining that he needed to use force against what he claimed was a combative suspect, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. The video from a fellow officer’s bodycam tells a different story, Valdes added. Finch – who was with the department for nearly 18 years -- is charged with aggravated assault, official misconduct, perjury, t…
Port Authority Officer Charged With Filing Bogus Medical Reports To Collect Paid Leave Port Authority Officer Charged With Filing Bogus Medical Reports To Collect Paid Leave
Port Authority Officer Charged With Filing Bogus Medical Reports To Collect Paid Leave A 13-year Port Authority police veteran illegally milked a paid medical leave by submitting bogus records, authorities charged. Marie Paz, 43, was charged with two counts of forgery before being released pending a May 13 first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Jersey City, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Paz, of Woodhaven, Queens, "submitted falsified medical records to her employer to receive additional paid medical leave," Suarez said on Friday, April 29. The prosecutor credited her office's Public Integrity Unit and the Port Authority of New York and New Je…
South Jersey Officer Indicted In Off-Duty Domestic Violence Clash: Report South Jersey Officer Indicted In Off-Duty Domestic Violence Clash: Report
South Jersey Officer Indicted In Off-Duty Domestic Violence Clash: Report A 37-year-old South Jersey police officer has been indicted for trying to strangle a woman while off-duty, NJ Advance Media reported. Myron V. Ford, with the Deptford Township Police Department since 2009, was indicted by a Gloucester County grand jury last week on a charge of aggravated assault/strangling a domestic violence victim, the outlet said. He was arrested by Deptford police at his apartment on Sept. 30, 2021. He was accused of forcefully shoving the woman against a door at her apartment, scratching her right arm and chin, and “placing his hands around the victim’s neck in a…
Oakland PD: DWI Driver From Franklin Lakes Kicks, Spits On Police Oakland PD: DWI Driver From Franklin Lakes Kicks, Spits On Police
Oakland PD: DWI Driver From Franklin Lakes Kicks, Spits On Police A DWI driver from Franklin Lakes was arrested after he kicked and spit at Oakland police, authorities said. Officers responding to a call of an erratic driver on Long Hill Road on Friday, March 11, spotted a Honda stopped at a green light, Capt. Timothy Keenan said. The driver, Nicholas Pellegrini, 26, was arrested following a field sobriety test and "became combative while being handcuffed," Keenan said. Pelligrini kicked one officer and spit on others while being subdued, the captain said. He was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, throwing bodily fluids at police, resi…
NJ Correctional Officer Admits Assaulting, Breaking Wrist Of Detainee, 16, With No Cause NJ Correctional Officer Admits Assaulting, Breaking Wrist Of Detainee, 16, With No Cause
NJ Correctional Officer Admits Assaulting, Breaking Wrist Of Detainee, 16, With No Cause UPDATE: A retiring New Jersey correctional officer admitted breaking the wrist of a detainee during an unprovoked attack at a state facility for juvenile offenders, authorities said. Lt. Edward Day, 52, of Paulsboro, assaulted the 16-year-old without cause or justification at the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission's medium-security facility in Bordentown on Oct. 25, 2020, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The boy had his arms handcuffed behind his back during a transfer from his room to another location at the facility when Day "grabbed the victim’s ankle from …
Black NJ Teen Pinned In Viral Video Hires Lawyer Who Repped George Floyd, Breonna Taylor Black NJ Teen Pinned In Viral Video Hires Lawyer Who Repped George Floyd, Breonna Taylor
Black NJ Teen Pinned In Viral Video Hires Lawyer Who Repped George Floyd, Breonna Taylor The nationally renowned civil rights attorney who represented the families of George Floyd, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery has been retained by the New Jersey teen pinned to the ground and handcuffed by police during a mall fight. Benjamin Crump announced he has been retained to help 14-year-old Z’Kye Husain, who he said was standing up for a middle schooler being bullied by an 11th grader at the Bridgewater Commons last Saturday. The video shows officers forcefully pinning Z’Kye to the ground with their arms and legs handcuffing him, while the white teen involved in the fi…
Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money
Family Of NJ Man Shot Dead By Officer At Dorney Park To Get $950K In Settlement Money The family of a New Jersey man shot and killed by an "inexperienced" police officer directing traffic at Dorney Park will receive $950,000 reached in the settlement of a wrongful death suit, The Morning Call reports. Joseph Santos' two adult sons and 11-year-old daughter will receive a portion of the settlement, aside from law firm costs and fees, according to a copy of the settlement obtained by The Morning Call. Santos' estate administrator, Juliana Valenzuela, agreed to end the lawsuit on Sept. 14, according to the settlement. South Whitehall Township Officer Jonathan Ros…