Woodbridge Settles For $197,500 With Woman Who Alleged Police Brutality

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Woodbridge Township settled this year for $197,500 with a woman who filed a police brutality lawsuit in 2021 against the town and Woodbridge Police Department.

The woman who sued is Katiria Ortiz, who then went by the name Katiria Pardo. The incident occurred in 2018, while Woodbridge Police say they were investigating the woman and a man she lived with, Joshua Pardo, for cocaine sales within Woodbridge Township.

Ortiz had previously been arrested in 2011 on several charges of cocaine possession with intent to distribute, but she entered pre-trial intervention and the case was dismissed, according to legal documents. The man, Pardo, had also previously been arrested in Woodbridge on cocaine sale charges.

The woman filed her lawsuit against Woodbridge Police and Woodbridge Twp. in 2021, and Woodbridge settled with her on February 14, 2025. You can read her lawsuit and the settlement here: https://drive.google.com/file/...

Ortiz said that on June 21, 2018, Woodbridge Police officers in plainclothes raided the home on the 100 block of Adamecs Way in South Amboy, where she lived with Pardo and their 8-year-old daughter.

The woman said Woodbridge Police kicked down the basement door to get into the home. She said they kicked her three dogs out of the way as they entered the home, and threw the dogs against a wall. Ortiz said she was naked and in the bathroom at the time, preparing to take a shower. The woman said (Det. Carlos Bonilla) entered the bathroom and hit her in the face, breaking her nose. She was "knocked her out cold. She fell to the ground naked and spread eagle," according to her lawsuit.

The woman said when she came to "there was blood everywhere." She said the officers then pulled her off the bathroom floor and threw her on her bed, and 15 minutes later threw her a gown to clothe herself. She said she also heard the officers refer to her as a "dirty drug-dealing bitch."

The woman's daughter was then removed from the home.

In this Statement of Material Fact, a legal document telling their side of the story, Woodbridge Police tell a different version of what occurred that day. They confirmed that on June 21, 2018, officers executed a search warrant at the South Amboy home. The WPD officers involved that day were Detectives Bryan Jaremczak, Shayne Bodnar, Patrick Harris, Nicole Hubner, Juan Carlos Bonilla, Jr. and Patrolman Jeian Rastegarpanah.

Prior to this, in the month of May, Bonilla had received information from a confidential informant that Joshua Pardo had been selling cocaine in Woodbridge Township. Police say they had a warrant to enter the home and arrest Pardo.

At approximately 10:50 a.m. on that date, police doing an undercover surveillance of Pardo observed him exiting the Adamecs Way apartment complex. Detective Harris pulled behind Pardo and tried to stop his car, "at which point Joshua Pardo fled," said the officers.

Police Officer Rastegarpanah said he observed Pardo throw a clear plastic bag from the vehicle during the pursuit. The thrown item was a clear plastic bag, containing numerous smaller clear plastic bags of suspected cocaine. The police also said as Pardo drove away, serving, they saw him on his cell phone, talking to somebody, who they assumed he was alerting that the police were there.

That was when Bonilla and Jaremczak determined to execute the search warrant at the home.

"Fearing that evidence would be destroyed, made entry into 124 Adamecs Way without knocking, and announcing their presence by yelling 'Police! Search Warrant!' Approaching the third floor, Det. Bonilla heard the sound of running water coming from the bedroom. In the bedroom, Det. Bonilla located a closed door and heard the sound of shuffling. Det. Bonilla attempted to open the door, which was locked. At no point was there a response to Det. Bonilla’s yelling or attempt to open the bathroom door. Concerned for a potential ambush, or potential destruction of evidence, Det. Bonilla opened the door with a kick. The bathroom door swung open, and struck Plaintiff (the woman) in the face. Plaintiff subsequently wiped her nose which was bleeding and threw the blood in the direction of Det. Bonilla. South Amboy Police officers arrived on scene and rendered aid."

Ortiz was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy.

"During the search of the bathroom the following were found: a brown colored backpack contained a wallet with credit cards in the name of Joshua Pardo; a Ziplock bag inside the garbage bag, later determined to have the presence of cocaine inside; and $3,006 held together by rubber bands located in the toilet reservoir tank."

Ortiz was charged by Woodbridge Police with Possession of CDS, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Money Laundering, Obstruction and Throwing Bodily Fluids at a Law Enforcement Officer. On May 31, 2019, in exchange for a dismissal of the charges, she agreed police had probable cause for her arrest, that there were exigent circumstances to police entering the house and that the search warrant was authorized.

Two years after this, Ortiz filed her lawsuit against Woodbridge Police, alleging she suffered police brutality on that day, and was still suffering injuries. Her lawyer was Rosemarie Arnold. On page 59 of this case, Woodbridge agreed to settle with her for $197,500 in exchange for her to drop all claims against the Township. The settlement money will be paid by Woodbridge's Joint Insurance Fund.

News of this settlement was first reported in TransparencyNJ.com, a New Jersey government watchdog website. TransparencyNJ.com hosted the lawsuit and settlement documents.