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Office of Public Integrity and Accountability

Police & Fire
Car Thief Wrecks Stolen Vehicle In High-Speed NJ Police Pursuit: Authorities Car Thief Wrecks Stolen Vehicle In High-Speed NJ Police Pursuit: Authorities
Car Thief Wrecks Stolen Vehicle In High-Speed NJ Police Pursuit: Authorities A Toms River man with a lengthy history of traffic offenses is facing multiple charges after leading police on a chase in a stolen vehicle that ended in a violent crash, leaving him seriously injured Friday, March 14, according to authorities. At 1:15 p.m., Florham Park police officers attempted to stop a stolen vehicle, but the driver refused to comply, according to the Florham Park Police Department. The vehicle was being operated erratically, swerving onto the shoulder and grass before ultimately crashing into a tree at the intersection of Vreeland and Hanover Roads, officials said. The …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Bergen Prosecutor’s Lt. Faces 50-Count Indictment For Stealing Fentanyl, Heroin: AG Bergen Prosecutor’s Lt. Faces 50-Count Indictment For Stealing Fentanyl, Heroin: AG
Bergen Prosecutor’s Lt. Faces 50-Count Indictment For Stealing Fentanyl, Heroin: AG A Bergen County prosecutor’s office lieutenant is facing a 50-count indictment after allegedly stealing cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl from the evidence vault and depositing $600,000 in cash into his personal accounts, authorities said. A state grand jury in Trenton indicted Kevin T. Matthew, 48, of Cedar Grove, after an investigation revealed he had allegedly signed out narcotics from BCPO’s main evidence vault between January 2019 and November 2023, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday, March 12. Authorities said Matthew was not part of BCPO’s narcotics unit, but as a me…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Essex County School Bus Company Hired Unqualified Drivers With Drug Problems: AG Essex County School Bus Company Hired Unqualified Drivers With Drug Problems: AG
Essex County School Bus Company Hired Unqualified Drivers With Drug Problems: AG A 66-year-old East Hanover man was sentence to five years in prison on Friday, Jan. 24 after previously pleading guilty to running a school bus company that failed to perform drug tests and background checks on drivers, authorities said. Ahmed Mahgoub was the owner of F&A Transportation, based in Essex County, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. From 2016 through 2020, they secured contracts with school districts in Essex, Passaic, Morris and Union counties, Platkin said, totaling $3.5 million. An investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability revealed …

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by Sam Barron
News
Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban
Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban Former Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres pleaded guilty to criminal contempt for defying a 2017 court order permanently barring him from running for or holding public office, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced. Torres, 66, admitted during a hearing on Thursday, Dec. 19, in Passaic County Superior Court that his 2022 bid to reclaim the mayor’s seat violated the judicial order. The plea, to a fourth-degree criminal contempt charge, followed an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA)’s Corruption Bureau. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the St…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
VIDEO: Stolen Porsche Crashes Into Newark Building After Officer Shoots At Driver VIDEO: Stolen Porsche Crashes Into Newark Building After Officer Shoots At Driver
Video: Stolen Porsche Crashes Into Newark Building After Officer Shoots At Driver The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released footage from body-worn cameras related to a non-fatal police shooting that happened last August and involved a stolen Porsche. The shooting involved Newark Police Officer Alexander Ferreira and his partner on Aug. 12, around 8:35 p.m., when Ferreira and the officers spotted a Porsche Macan parked on Clinton Place near Hawthorne Avenue, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Determining the vehicle was stolen, Ferreira and his partner positioned their patrol car in front of the Porsche and approached the occupant, a m…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Grand Jury Declines To Indict Cranford Police Officers In Fatal Shooting On GSP: AG Grand Jury Declines To Indict Cranford Police Officers In Fatal Shooting On GSP: AG
Grand Jury Declines To Indict Cranford Police Officers In Fatal Shooting On GSP: AG Cranford police officers who fatally shot a Perth Amboy man on the Garden State Parkway in December 2023 will not face charges, the state attorney general's office announced Friday, Oct. 25. On Thursday, Dec. 28, officers from the Cranford Police Department were pursuing a stolen vehicle when it crashed in the area of Exit 131 on the Parkway southbound, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.  After the crash, the driver of the vehicle, Kevin Harlfinger, exchanged gunfire with Cranford Police Officers Christopher Folinusz and Ryan McSharry, Platkin said. Harlfinger was pronounced d…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Hudson County Officer In Deadly Secaucus Crash Won't Be Indicted: AG (VIDEO) Hudson County Officer In Deadly Secaucus Crash Won't Be Indicted: AG (VIDEO)
Hudson County Officer In Deadly Secaucus Crash Won't Be Indicted: AG (Video) A state grand jury declined to file criminal charges in the death of motorcyclist who was fleeing police in Secaucus in August 2023, authorities said. On Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, Hudson County Sheriff Officer Andrew Conti attempted to stop a motorcycle, operated by Reymis Geronimo-Segura, a 28-year-old North Bergen resident, for motor vehicle violations, State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said (click here for bodyworn camera footage of the incident). Conti observed the motorcycle in the area of Paul Amico Way and Seaview Drive, Platkin said.  Conti followed the motorcycle on Count…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Why Sergeant Won't Be Charged In Crash That Killed 44-Year-Old Pedestrian: AG (VIDEO) Why Sergeant Won't Be Charged In Crash That Killed 44-Year-Old Pedestrian: AG (VIDEO)
Why Sergeant Won't Be Charged In Crash That Killed 44-Year-Old Pedestrian: AG (Video) Charges will not be filed against a police officer who last November struck and killed a 44-year-old man while on-duty in a patrol car, authorities said. Sgt. Richard Sbarra was on White Horse Pike (Route 30) in the Atco section of Waterford when he hit Christofe “Christopher” Wita, 44, of Berlin on Nov. 23, 2023, NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin previously said. Bodycam footage and radio transmissions from the incident were released last month. On Monday, Aug. 12, Platkin said Sbarra would not be charged following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Account…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Bodycam Footage Shows Response To Deadly Pedestrian Crash Involving Police Car In South Jersey Bodycam Footage Shows Response To Deadly Pedestrian Crash Involving Police Car In South Jersey
Bodycam Footage Shows Response To Deadly Pedestrian Crash Involving Police Car In South Jersey The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released radio communications and bodycam footage of the police response to a deadly pedestrian crash involving a police vehicle last November. Christofe “Christopher” Wita, 44, of Berlin, was struck by a Waterford police vehicle in the Atco section of Waterford on Nov. 23, 2023, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The fatal police encounter is under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).  Click here to view the footage and listen to the radio transmissions. Wita was struck by on-duty Waterford P…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Grand Jury Declines To Indict Newark Officers In Fatal Shooting Grand Jury Declines To Indict Newark Officers In Fatal Shooting
Grand Jury Declines To Indict Newark Officers In Fatal Shooting A grand jury has decided not to indict Newark police officers who fatally shot a 29-year-old man in May 2023. The grand jury's vote follows an investigation into the shooting death of Everett Rand by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. In May 2023, police responded to a 911 call on a shooting in a residence on Johnson Avenue, the State Attorney General's Office said. Police observed Rand leaving the residence and discarding an item in a dumpster, authorities said. While chasing Rand, Officer Steven Ferreira saw Rand reach into his waistband during the foot pursuit and grab w…

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by Sam Barron
News
Officers Who Killed Bloodied, Naked Knife-Wielding Man In Fort Lee Won't Be Charged, AG Says Officers Who Killed Bloodied, Naked Knife-Wielding Man In Fort Lee Won't Be Charged, AG Says
Officers Who Killed Bloodied, Naked Knife-Wielding Man In Fort Lee Won't Be Charged, AG Says Fort Lee police officers who shot and killed an aggressive and bloodied knife-wielding man in February 2023 have been cleared of any wrongdoing, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office announced. A state grand jury voted not to file any criminal charges against the Fort Lee officers who killed 42-year-old Mohamed Bounaouar, of Las Vegas, NV, who was fully naked when he lunged at them with a knife at a John Street apartment on Feb. 4, 2023, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Click here for a series of bodyworn cam footage of the incident released by the NJ Attorney General's Office…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Former Notorious NJ Political Boss George Norcross Indicted For Racketeering Former Notorious NJ Political Boss George Norcross Indicted For Racketeering
Former Notorious NJ Political Boss George Norcross Indicted For Racketeering Former New Jersey Democratic kingmaker George E. Norcross III ran a criminal enterprise for nearly a dozen years during which he used his power and influence over elected officials to make laws that best served him, among other offenses, says a state indictment that charges him with racketeering. The poster boy of New Jersey political bosses, Norcross attended a news conference held on Monday, June 17 by state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin in Trenton -- uninvited -- to announce the indictment naming him and five co-defendants. When one of the attorney general's sta…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Man Killed After Wounding Two Officers In NJ Banquet Hall Shootout Came Out Firing, AG Says Man Killed After Wounding Two Officers In NJ Banquet Hall Shootout Came Out Firing, AG Says
Man Killed After Wounding Two Officers In NJ Banquet Hall Shootout Came Out Firing, AG Says UPDATE: A man wanted for questioning in a New York City shooting pulled out a gun in the lobby of a Woodbridge hotel and was killed in a shootout with police, authorities said. A Woodbridge police officer and a New York City homicide detective were wounded in the exchange, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The township officer was shot in the back and the city detective in the foot, the NYPD said. Both have already been released from the hospital following treatment, the attorney general said on Friday, June 14. Karl Gregory, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene of the ea…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Chainsaw-Wielding Man Shot By Police In Keansburg Chainsaw-Wielding Man Shot By Police In Keansburg
Chainsaw-Wielding Man Shot By Police In Keansburg A man wielding a chainsaw was shot and critically wounded by police sent to his Keansburg home on a welfare check, authorities said. Borough officers who went to the Seabreeze Way home shortly after 1 p.m. on Memorial Day "encountered an adult male civilian who possessed numerous weapons and a running chainsaw," New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. "As the male approached officers with the running chainsaw, one officer deployed a [Taser] and another officer fired his service weapon, striking the individual," the attorney general said. on Friday, May 31. Unconfirmed reports wer…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: State Authorities Probe Police Vehicle Crash In Sussex County That Killed Woman, 19 UPDATE: State Authorities Probe Police Vehicle Crash In Sussex County That Killed Woman, 19
Update: State Authorities Probe Police Vehicle Crash In Sussex County That Killed Woman, 19 State authorities are investigating a police-involved Memorial Day crash in Sussex County that killed a 19-year-old passenger in a private vehicle. The on-duty officer's car T-boned the civilian vehicle outside the ShopRite of Franklin shopping center on Route 23 at Walsh Road, according to witnesses, shortly after 10:30 a.m. May 27. Deanna D’Arco was rushed to Morristown Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.  Her organs were donated through the New Jersey Sharing Network. ****** GoFundMe verified a fundraiser to help support D'Arco's family cov…

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by Jerry DeMarco