Licensed practical nurse will permanently surrender her nursing license under plea deal
WHITING, NJ – A New Jersey nurse admitted pepper-spraying an elderly nursing home resident with dementia multiple times at close range, leaving him on the floor without care and later putting him back inside his room without providing aid, state officials announced Friday.
Lisa L. Erikson, 57, of Manchester, pleaded guilty before Ocean County Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill to second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and third-degree neglect of an elderly adult.
Erikson was working as a licensed practical nurse at a rehabilitation and nursing center in Whiting when the assault occurred March 19, 2025, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
The resident was an elderly man diagnosed with dementia, depression and anxiety.
Court records and statements cited by the Attorney General’s Office show Erikson retrieved her personal oleoresin capsicum spray, commonly known as pepper spray, before approaching the resident.
She sprayed the man at close range while he attempted to shield himself, according to state officials.
Erikson then sprayed him again.
The resident was left on the floor unattended for several minutes, officials said.
He eventually crawled to get himself back on his feet and entered another resident’s room.
Erikson and another person then forcibly removed the man from that room and placed him inside his own room, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The door was shut and the resident was again left without receiving aid.
Police and emergency medical personnel later responded to the facility, treated the man and transported him to a hospital.
As part of her guilty plea, Erikson admitted using the pepper spray for an unlawful purpose and spraying the resident several times despite not being authorized to do so.
She also admitted leaving the man without care despite having a duty to provide it.
Under the plea agreement, Erikson will permanently forfeit her nursing license.
The state will recommend that she serve 364 days in county jail as a condition of probation.
Erikson is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 13.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Camille McKnight of the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Detective Yvette Vasquez conducted the investigation.
New Jersey’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates allegations that include abuse and neglect of residents receiving care in health facilities.
A nurse entrusted with an elderly dementia patient’s care now faces jail and the permanent loss of her nursing license after admitting she pepper-sprayed him and left him without aid.
Key Points
- Lisa L. Erikson, 57, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and neglect of an elderly adult.
- State officials said Erikson pepper-sprayed an elderly dementia patient multiple times at close range and left him on the floor without care.
