Jersey City Cop Forged Papers To Get Extra Medical Leave: Prosecutors

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A Jersey City police officer was arrested for forging six documents to get extra medical leave, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Justin Rivera, 31, was charged with six counts of forgery/uttering forged documents, crimes of the fourth degree, said the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

He was arrested at the Prosecutor's Office in Jersey City and released pending his first court appearance, which is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, July 9, 2024, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that "Between March 2022 and January 2023, Rivera submitted six records to the Jersey City Police Department requesting medical leave. The investigation found the six records were forged/altered, granting Rivera over eight weeks of additional medical leave."

Prosecutor Esther Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internal Affairs Unit and the Jersey City Police Department Internal Affairs Unit with the investigation and arrest.