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A review of the circumstances surrounding the death last Thursday, Jan. 5, of Raul L. DeJesus, 43, is required because it involved police, a Jan. 11 release from Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin's office says.
According to a preliminary investigation, Newark Police Officer Alberto Vera approached DeJesus in the area of Orange Street and South 11th Street in Newark shortly before 3:42 p.m., the release says.
DeJesus was wanted for questioning "in connection with a criminal investigation that had occurred in Paterson on December 10, 2022," it notes.
DeJesus "fled on foot through various yards and collapsed on an embankment along Route 280 westbound, in the area of mile marker 12.8, where he was located and taken into custody by Newark Police Officer Nicholas Miller," the release says.
DeJesus "was transported to University Hospital and pronounced deceased at 4:41 p.m.," it adds.
State law and his own guidelines require Platkin's office to investigate deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what the circumstances are.
The guidelines guarantee that the investigation is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner," removing politics or personal agendas.
Once the investigation by the attorney general's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is complete, the results are presented to a grand jury.
The grand jury reviews a host of evidence -- including witness interviews, body and dashcam video, and forensic and autopsy results -- to determine whether or not there was cause to suspect any wrongdoing on the part of law enforcement.
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