No Charges For Woodbridge Police Officer Who Used Chokehold On Suspect

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A grand jury concluded its deliberations and voted not to file any criminal charges against a Woodbridge Township Police officer who put a domestic violence suspect into a chokehold during an arrest in 2023, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone announced Wednesday.

The Woodbridge Police Officer is Hector Rivera. Rivera is still on the Woodbridge Police force, and he has been on modified duty since this incident in 2023.

A grand jury seated in Middlesex County concluded its deliberations on April 9.

The incident took place on February 11, 2023 in Woodbridge: At 9:14 a.m. on that date, various Woodbridge police officers responded to a call of an incident of domestic violence. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect was going to be placed under arrest for acts of domestic violence, said the prosecutor. Once police told the suspect he would be arrested, he began to yell and became uncooperative and aggressive.

The suspect resisted law enforcement’s efforts to place him under arrest, said the prosecutor. After being arrested, he was transported to a local hospital, where he refused treatment. After leaving the hospital, the suspect was transported to Woodbridge Police headquarters and was charged with criminal offenses.

While in police custody, the suspect reported to law enforcement that Rivera used a chokehold on him earlier in the day.

In December 2021, after a police officer murdered George Floyd via asphyxiation, the NJ Attorney General changed its Use-of-Force Policy, saying that police use of a chokehold is now deemed deadly force.

Rivera’s alleged use of deadly but non-fatal force was investigated by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and supervised by the NJ Attorney General. That investigation was presented to a Middlesex County grand jury. The investigation included witness statements, collection of body-worn camera footage, photographs and police reports, including use-of-force reports. All that evidence was presented to the grand jury.

After hearing testimony and reviewing the evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations on April 9 with a vote to “no bill” criminal charges, meaning the grand jurors concluded no criminal charges should be filed against Police Officer Rivera.

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