NJ Corrections Officer Confesses In Urine-Fueled Assault On Inmate: Feds

PATERSON, NJ — A corrections officer at the Passaic County Jail admitted to playing a role in an assault of an inmate at the jail in 2021, federal officials said.

Officers Lorenzo Bowden, Sergeant Jose Gonzalez, and Sergeant Donald Vinales all face charges in the beating, which authorities say stemmed from the inmate spraying urine at another officer.

Prosecutors claim the trio conspired to assault the pre-trial detainee, who was being held on weapons charges, then lied to investigators about the circumstances of the attack in Jan. 2021.

On Thursday, officials said 39-year-old Bowden admitted in court to a charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The charges against Gonzalez and Vinales are still pending, according to a news release from U.S Attorney Philip Sellinger's office.

“The vast majority of law enforcement officers understand the trust placed in them by our community when they wear the badge," Sellinger said. "But when law enforcement officers abuse the trust the community places in them – when they violate the constitutional rights of the people of New Jersey, including prisoners, they will be held accountable.”

According to Sellinger's office, on Jan. 22, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer. The following day, Gonzalez, Vinales and Bowden led the detainee through an area of the jail that does not have a video surveillance camera, which correctional officers and inmates at the jail have referred to as a “blind spot."

While in that "blind spot," Gonzalez and Vinales assaulted the handcuffed inmate by knocking him to the ground and hitting him several times, Sellinger said. Bowden admitted he did not interfere to prevent the assault, officials said.

One day following the assault, the inmate was taken to a nearby hospital, where injuries from the assault were documented.

Hames E. Dennehy, Special Agent in Charge for FBI Newark, said that corrections officers know the proper methods to hold suspected criminals "who act out while in custody."

"Instead of following those rules, Bowden admits he and his co-conspirators took matters into their own hands and then decided to lie about it," said Dennehy. "As law enforcement, we must live up to a higher standard of behavior because of the legal and physical power we wield.”

After receiving subpoenas indicating that a federal grand jury was investigating the incident, the three charged officers, along with the two guards who witnessed the alleged attack, allegedly met outside a Wayne gym in April 2022 and agreed not to speak about what happened, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Officials also said that during an interview with federal investigators in October 2022, Bowden falsely stated that the inmate had not been assaulted and that there had not been any meeting or communication among those who participated in or witnessed the assault.

According to court records, the guard who was struck by urine-laced fluid from the detainee was identified as "Officer-1." However, the criminal complaint includes no mention of the officer's involvement in the alleged attack or cover-up meeting.

Patch's Vianella Burns contributed to this report.