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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 behind, pulled his leg back, and pushed him face-forward onto the ground," Platkin said.
Day then "grabbed hold of the juvenile’s handcuffed wrists and twisted and broke one of them," he said.
An investigation by the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) Corruption Bureau and the JJC’s Office of Investigations produced charges against the veteran officer, who Platkin said is now inactive pending retirement.
Rather than face trial, Day took a deal from prosecutors, pleading guilty to aggravated assault at a hearing in Superior Court in Trenton on Wednesday, Feb. 23.
He will serve up to 364 days in the Burlington County Detention Center in Mount Holly as part of probation, under the terms of the deal, secured by state Deputy Attorney General Brian Uzdavinis, Platkin said.
Day also must forfeit his state position and will be permanently barred from public office or employment in New Jersey, the attorney general said.
“This guilty plea reflects our resolve to hold law enforcement officers accountable if they use unjustified and excessive force against civilians,” Platkin said. “No one is above the law, and all people are entitled to the law’s protections, including those in state custody.”
Superior Court Judge Philip Haines scheduled sentencing for April 13.
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