Man dies while in phil murphy's state police custody

Man Dies While in Phil Murphy’s State Police Custody

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1 min read
July 1, 2020

TOTOWA, N.J. – The Attorney General’s Office is conducting an investigation into the death of a 51-year-old man, who died earlier today after he was arrested by a New Jersey state trooper during a motor vehicle stop outside the State Police Totowa Substation. The man was placed under arrest after the state trooper discovered suspected narcotics in his vehicle.

The man suffered an undetermined medical emergency shortly after being arrested at approximately 11:30 a.m., and being placed in the back of a police vehicle. The trooper, as well as other responding troopers and paramedics, administered medical aid and the man was transported to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 1:05 p.m. The identity of the decedent is not being released at this time.

This investigation is being conducted pursuant to a law enacted in January 2019, P.L.2019, c.1, which requires the Attorney General’s Office to investigate all civilian deaths resulting from an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in law enforcement custody. Here, according to the preliminary investigation, there was no use of force by the arresting trooper or any responding troopers; rather, the Attorney General’s Office is conducting this investigation because the decedent died while in law enforcement custody.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

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