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Office of Public Integrity and Accountability

Police & Fire
Six Burlco Corrections Officers Indicted For Covering Up Pepper Spray Attack On Inmate, AG Says Six Burlco Corrections Officers Indicted For Covering Up Pepper Spray Attack On Inmate, AG Says
Six Burlco Corrections Officers Indicted For Covering Up Pepper Spray Attack On Inmate, AG Says Six corrections officers were indicted after an inmate was pepper-sprayed and forcefully removed from his cell at a Burlington County detention center, authorities said. A grand jury indicted a sergeant and five senior corrections officers for the attack and subsequent coverup, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a news release on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The incident happened at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility, a center for adults 18-30 years old in Chesterfield Township. These were the officers charged in the case: Sgt. Michael Emmert, 40, Toms River Ch…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Former Wildwood Mayor Admits To Healthcare Fraud, NJ Attorney General Says Former Wildwood Mayor Admits To Healthcare Fraud, NJ Attorney General Says
Former Wildwood Mayor Admits To Healthcare Fraud, NJ Attorney General Says A former mayor of Wildwood admitted to his role in a healthcare fraud scheme that stole more than $600,000 in government funds, authorities said. Peter Byron, 68, pleaded guilty to three charges on Friday, Sept. 27, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a news release on Monday, Sept. 30. Byron resigned as mayor in September 2023 after he was indicted in the case. According to court documents and statements, Byron, current Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr., and Deputy Mayor Steve Mikulski enrolled in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) despite being ineligible. The SHBP is only open…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Central Jersey Widow Avoids Jail After Fraudulently Collecting $268K In Police Pension: AG Central Jersey Widow Avoids Jail After Fraudulently Collecting $268K In Police Pension: AG
Central Jersey Widow Avoids Jail After Fraudulently Collecting $268K In Police Pension: AG A Mercer County woman avoided jail time after admitting to stealing $268,000 from her dead husband's police pension after she remarried, authorities said. Sandra VonScheven, 49, of Hamilton Township, was given a suspended sentence of 364 days in county jail, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a news release on Thursday, Aug. 29. She won't have to go to jail if she completes probation. According to court documents and statements, VonScheven started receiving state benefits in November 2001 after her husband died. He had retired as a municipal police officer in New Jersey. Widows …

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by Chris Spiker
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
Police & Fire
'Send Pics, Pretty Lady': NJ Investigator Harassed Crime Victims With Sexual Messages, AG Says 'Send Pics, Pretty Lady': NJ Investigator Harassed Crime Victims With Sexual Messages, AG Says
'Send Pics, Pretty Lady': NJ Investigator Harassed Crime Victims With Sexual Messages, AG Says A former New Jersey investigator who worked with female victims of crimes was accused of having inappropriate and sexual conversations with those victims, authorities said. Guilherme Jamarino, 47, was charged with second-degree official misconduct, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a news release on Tuesday, July 30. The Point Pleasant man was an investigator with the state Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO). The VCCO is an agency in the Department of Law and Public Safety. It provides financial help to victims of crimes to "alleviate the economic an…

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by Chris Spiker
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
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