No Charges Against Officers In 2019 Camden County Death: AG

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — No charges will be filed against Camden County Police Officers in connection with the 2019 death of 46-year-old Rodolfo Pagan, of Camden, federal authorities announced on Tuesday.

A state grand jury voted on Monday not to file any criminal charges against Camden County Police Officers in Pagan’s death, the state Attorney General’s Office announced.

Officers William Grasso and Dachaira Marquez-Guadalupe found Pagan naked and behaving erratically while responding to his home for a 911 call that reported a man acting in a strange manner at about 10:46 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2019, according to authorities.

When they attempted to restrain him for the safety of those who were present, he fought back and fled the home, authorities said. The officers caught up to him, handcuffed him and brought him to the ground, authorities said.

Officers Colin Wetmore, Timothy Miller, Deborah Baker, and Justin Goldman arrived at various times to help the situation, authorities said.

Police called EMS to the scene. When they arrived, Pagan was in cardiac arrest and no longer breathing, authorities said.

He was treated at the scene and taken by ambulance to Cooper University Hospital, where he died six days later, on Nov. 16, 2019, authorities said. Results of an autopsy determined that Pagan died of complications of cocaine intoxication, authorities said.

State law requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody.

It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.

The fatal police encounter was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and presented to 16 to 23 New Jersey residents who were called to serve on the grand jury in accordance with the “Independent Prosecutor Directive” issued in 2019.

In July 2021, OPIA issued standard operating procedures (“SOPs”) to ensure that these grand jury presentations are conducted in a neutral, objective manner, and with appropriate transparency regarding the process, consistent with the Independent Prosecutor Directive.

A conflicts check was conducted and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any individual assigned to the investigation. Prior to presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed by OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher in accordance with the policies and procedures established for these presentations in the SOPs.

During the investigation, witnesses were interviewed, forensic evidence was collected, and body worn camera footage and autopsy results were reviewed.

After hearing testimony and evidence from the investigation, the grand jury concluded that no criminal charges should be filed.

The Independent Prosecutor Directive is posted on the Attorney General’s website at this link:
https://www.nj.gov/oag/dcj/agguide/directives/ag-Directive-2019-4.pdf.

Further information about how fatal police encounters are investigated in New Jersey under the directive is found at this link: http://www.nj.gov/oag/independent-prosecutor/.