BRIDGETON, N.J. – The Bridgeton Police Department lost approximately 62,000 videos after a hard drive failure affected its WatchGuard server, according to a department operations report.
The report, dated May 2, 2024, says numerous videos were found to be faulted because of a suspected hard drive failure. Attempts to recover the files through WatchGuard, Motorola and Equus were unsuccessful.
- Approximately 62,000 videos were lost.
- Police said the loss was caused by a hard drive failure.
- Recovery attempts were unsuccessful.
Report Says Thousands of Videos Were Lost
Sgt. Anthony Bertolini wrote that he had been responsible for providing video evidence from WatchGuard body-worn cameras and motor vehicle recording systems.
“At some point during that time, it was discovered that numerous videos were faulted due to a suspected hard drive failure on the server,” Bertolini wrote.
The report states that “numerous attempts were made to recover the videos with negative results.”
Bertolini later summarized the scope of the loss directly.
“Approximately 62,000 videos were lost as a result of a hard drive failure,” the report states.
Police Contacted Vendors About Missing Files
According to the report, police contacted Motorola and Equus while trying to recover the lost material and confirm details surrounding the failure.
Motorola advised that it did not have legacy records from the earlier WatchGuard system, according to the report.
“I reached out to Equus, and they advised that all records would have been with WatchGuard, and they could not assist me,” Bertolini wrote.
A new WatchGuard server was purchased in March 2022 and put online on July 14, 2022.
“Once all data from the old server was migrated to the new server it was discovered that the lost videos were unable to be recovered,” the report states.
Department Documented Loss in 2024 Report
The operations report is tied to Bridgeton Police case number 24-15396 and lists 330 Fayette Street in Bridgeton as the location connected to the report.
The document was signed by Bertolini and reviewed by Lt. Jason M. Hovermann.
The report does not provide additional detail beyond the loss itself, the server failure and the failed recovery efforts.
Approximately 62,000 videos were lost.
The report attributes the loss to a hard drive failure involving the department’s WatchGuard server.
Police tried to recover the files.
The report says WatchGuard, Motorola and Equus were contacted, but the missing videos could not be recovered.
The loss was documented in a May 2024 operations report.
The report was signed by Sgt. Anthony Bertolini and reviewed by Lt. Jason M. Hovermann.
Sources: Bridgeton City Police Department Operations Report, Case No. 24-15396, dated May 2, 2024, OPRA request by Corrupt Faces of NJs Judiciary
