A Jersey City police officer was found guilty by a Hudson County jury last week for multiple counts of official misconduct after prosecutors said she concealed a fugitive in her apartment during an active shooting investigation.
Page Rivera, 35, was convicted on Wednesday of second-degree charges of official misconduct for non-performance of duties and unauthorized use of official function, along with a third-degree charge of pattern of official misconduct. The charges stem from incidents that occurred between September 2022 and February 2023.
Prosecutors said Rivera failed to perform her duties and used her position to hinder the arrest of Frederick Womack, a fugitive wanted in connection with a shooting. Womack was later discovered inside Rivera’s apartment and taken into custody. He has since pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and is serving a sentence in New Jersey State Prison.
Rivera faces mandatory minimum prison terms under state law: five years each for the two second-degree misconduct convictions and two years for the third-degree pattern of misconduct charge. She was acquitted on a third-degree hindering charge.
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
Key Points
- Jersey City officer Page Rivera was found guilty of three official misconduct charges involving the harboring of a fugitive
- Rivera hid Frederick Womack, wanted in a shooting case, in her apartment
- Convictions carry mandatory minimum prison sentences of five and two years