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Giuseppe Mandara, a 55-year-old Brick Township resident had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Mandaran, an officer at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Woodbridge, admitted to attacking Darrell Smith in August 2019, while Smith was serving a 23-year sentence for kidnapping and aggravated assault on a police officer, Platkin said.
Mandara assaulted Smith inside the secured exit of the special treatment unit's west housing unit, Platkin said. Smith was walking to his assigned work location when Mandara removed his duty belt, which included facility keys and a radio, to continue an earlier verbal dispute with Smith, Platkin said.
Mandara pressed Smith against a wall, slammed his head into a door, and tackled him to the ground, Platkin said and repeatedly punched Smith while on the ground, Platkin said.
Several days after the assault, Smith suffered a fatal stroke, Platkin said. The grand jury did not initiate homicide charges in connection with the victim’s death.
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