TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–The Union County Prosecutor’s Office has released body camera videos from the police involved shooting on February 12, 2022.
Video below is age restricted 18+ please follow the link to view the video since it contains language and images that may be unacceptable or troubling to viewers.
The case has been handed to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office as per the NJ Attorney General’s guidelines. It was done to prevent any conflicts of interest.
Trenton Body Worn Camera Footage
Disclaimer
The body worn camera footage from this incident is being provided by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office under the authority of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118.5 and Attorney General Directives 2019-4 and 2022-1.
This footage contains language and images that may be unacceptable or troubling to viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
PLAINSBORO, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–The Attorney General’s Office today released video footage from four body-worn cameras, two mobile video recorders (MVRs) in law enforcement vehicles, and two Taser cameras related to a fatal police-involved shooting that occurred on Feb. 16, 2022, in Plainsboro, N.J. The decedent has been identified as Atiba Lewis, 45, of Plainsboro. The officer who fired at Mr. Lewis has been identified as Officer Phillip Nguyen of the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office.
The fatal shooting remains under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). The recordings are being released pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 that are designed to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters. Investigators met today with Mr. Lewis’ family to review the recordings.
According to the preliminary investigation, the shooting occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 16. A civil order for possession (eviction/ejection) had been authorized to remove Mr. Lewis from an apartment on Ravens Crest Drive in Plainsboro. The Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office executed the order with assistance from other law enforcement agencies on the morning of Feb. 16. Later that same morning, law enforcement officers sought and executed a search warrant for an unlawful firearm at Mr. Lewis’ residence.
Law enforcement executed the order and search warrant while Mr. Lewis was out of the apartment.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., after Mr. Lewis had arrived back at the apartment complex, law enforcement officers attempted to arrest him for unlawful possession of the firearm.
When the officers approached Mr. Lewis, he pulled out a knife and ran away from them. He continued to threaten the officers with the knife. Four officers deployed Tasers in an attempt to disarm Mr. Lewis, but the Tasers were ineffective. Mr. Lewis was agitated and lunged at officers several times. At approximately 11:35 a.m., with a knife in his hand, Mr. Lewis advanced directly toward Officer Nguyen, who then fired his weapon, fatally wounding Mr. Lewis.
Officers and emergency medical personnel rendered first aid to Mr. Lewis, who was transported to Princeton Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 12:10 p.m.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.
This investigation is being conducted pursuant to a state law enacted in January 2019 (P.L. 2019, c.1), which requires that the Attorney General’s Office conduct all 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. Separately, the Independent Prosecutor Directive, which was issued in December 2019, outlines a 10-step process for conducting these investigations. The Directive establishes clear procedures governing such investigations to ensure that they are conducted in a full, impartial and transparent manner. Under both state law and the Directive, when the entire investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury, typically consisting of 16 to 23 citizens, to make the ultimate decision regarding whether criminal charges will be filed.
A copy of the Directive is available at this link:
When the officers approached Mr. Lewis, he pulled out a knife and ran away from them. He continued to threaten the officers with the knife. Four officers deployed Tasers in an attempt to disarm Mr. Lewis, but the Tasers were ineffective. Mr. Lewis was agitated and lunged at officers several times. At approximately 11:35 a.m., with a knife in his hand, Mr. Lewis advanced directly toward Officer Nguyen, who then fired his weapon, fatally wounding Mr. Lewis.
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)-On March 1, 2022 an elderly resident received a phone call from a party pretending to be her nephew stating he was arrested for drunk driving striking a pregnant woman. The imposter added he needed money to get out of jail. Another man got on the phone claiming to be his attorney with the Legal Aid Society out of Manchester, NY. The “Attorney” advised the victim would need $9,800.00 in cash to represent her nephew. The victim was able to gather up the funds and contacted the “Attorney” again who stated he would be sending someone over to pick up the cash. Approximately 2 hours later the cash was picked up. The victim soon realized, she was scammed out of the money and reported this incident to Hamilton Police Division. An investigation was conducted by Detective Nicholas Schulte which proved fruitful in identifying Raul Santos-Marte, 39 years of age from Bronx, NY and Karina De Los Santos-Polanco 34 years of age from Bronx, NY as suspects picking up the money.
On March 21, 2022, both of the suspects came to Hamilton Police Division Headquarters and turned themselves in on their active criminal warrants. Both Santos-Marte and Santos-Polanco were arrested, processed and transported to the Mercer County Corrections Center charged with Theft by Deception.
If anyone has any additional information on Santos-Marte and Santos-Polanco, please contact Detective Nicholas Schulte, phone: (609) 581-4030 or by email: nschulte@hamiltonpd.org.
The Hamilton Police Division would like to warn the public that if a phone call is received from persons posing as officials demanding cash money and arranging for pickup, please keep in mind, these calls have been found to be scams.
Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri today announced that a month-long investigation into narcotics distribution in the Trenton area has culminated with two arrests and the seizure of $55,000 in cocaine, PCP and a loaded 9mm handgun.
On Monday, March 21, 2022, as part of an ongoing investigation, members of the Mercer County Narcotics Task Force (MCNTF) received information that an individual identified as Christopher Seabrook would be traveling from Philadelphia to Trenton with a large quantity of narcotics.
With assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, MCNTF detectives initiated surveillance on Seabrook’s residence in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, and at approximately 6:30 p.m., Seabrook was observed exiting his home and entering a gold Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicle departed the area and subsequently picked up an individual identified as Jorge Mercado-Torres in the area of Russell Street in Philadelphia. The Tahoe proceeded to leave the Philadelphia area and drove directly to the area of Route 1 northbound and the Route 29 exit ramp in Trenton. Once on the exit ramp, detectives initiated a motor vehicle stop.
A search warrant was obtained and detectives discovered 550 grams of cocaine, six ounces of PCP and a Luger 9mm handgun loaded with seven hollow-point bullets all hidden in a space underneath the steering wheel column. A search of Seabrook’s person revealed $819 in cash and a search of Mercado-Torres person revealed $353 in cash.
Seabrook, 47, and Mercado-Torres, 28, of Philadelphia, were taken into custody without incident and charged with first-degree narcotic offenses and second-degree weapons offenses. The prosecutor’s office has filed motions to detain both men pending trial.
According to Prosecutor Onofri, the total street value of the confiscated cocaine is $55,000 and the approximate value of the PCP is $2,400.
Despite having been charged, all persons are presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A search warrant was obtained and detectives discovered 550 grams of cocaine, six ounces of PCP and a Luger 9mm handgun loaded with seven hollow-point bullets all hidden in a space underneath the steering wheel column. A search of Seabrook’s person revealed $819 in cash and a search of Mercado-Torres person revealed $353 in cash. Seabrook, 47, and Mercado-Torres, 28, of Philadelphia, were taken into custody without incident and charged with first-degree narcotic offenses and second-degree weapons offenses. The prosecutor’s office has filed motions to detain both men pending trial. According to Prosecutor Onofri, the total street value of the confiscated cocaine is $55,000 and the approximate value of the PCP is $2,400.
TRENTON (March 24, 2022) – Two New Jersey Lottery tickets matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball drawn for the Wednesday, March 23, drawing winning the $50,000 third-tier prize. Those tickets were sold at the following locations:
Monmouth County: Millstone Liquors, 514 Route 33 W., Millstone Township; and
The winning numbers for the Wednesday, March 23, drawing were: 31, 32, 37, 38, and 48. The Red Power Ball number was 24. The Power Playwas 2X. There were 19,843 other New Jersey players who took home an estimated $104,447 in prizes ranging from $4 to $200. The Powerball jackpot rolls to $181,000,000 for the Saturday, March 26, drawing.
Double Play Results
The Double Play drawing is an additional drawing for players who opted-in to the Double Play feature on their tickets. The Double Play drawing results for the Wednesday, March 23, drawing were: 15, 18, 24, 26, and 62. The red Double Play Power Ball number was 01.
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