A sergeant with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has been charged with stealing a reporter’s camera while he was assigned to a detail at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.
The camera was expensive and equipped with a GPS tracking device, which led authorities to Brown’s home in Sparta.
Brown’s body-worn camera footage shows him interacting with a bag that “possibly contained camera equipment consistent with the description of belongings provided by (the journalist),” according to the criminal complaint filed against him
The journalist, whose name has not been released, alleged that a bag of expensive camera equipment — estimated at roughly $10,000 — was dropped after an injury at the scene. The bag had an Apple AirTag. The journalist was taken to the hospital to treat those injuries.
A search warrant for Brown’s home was executed and law enforcement search uncovered additional items at Brown’s home and prompted an investigation into other alleged thefts.
Brown is assigned to the Narcotics Task Force.
“So many police officers conduct themselves with integrity, uphold the law, maintain order and public safety, and serve our communities with distinction in the face of great challenges, day in and day out,” said Attorney General Davenport. “When an officer does what is alleged in this case, it is a disservice to the profession and the public. I previously pledged that our Office would review allegations of improper conduct by law enforcement. We are doing exactly that, and this case is a result of that effort. Let me be clear: absolutely no one is above the law. We will hold law enforcement accountable when they abuse the tremendous position of public trust that they occupy and choose to break the law.”
Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said Brown has been suspended without pay.
The incident occurred on May 30, and Brown was deployed to Delaney Hall in his official capacity.
There are also reports that reporters and photographers were detained following a protest outside Delaney Hall after the City of Newark imposed a 9 p.m. curfew.
According to a report by the New Jersey Vindicator, at least two credentialed journalists were detained. Another report alleged that a photojournalist was struck with a baton while covering the protest, and his camera was broken.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Wellbrock is leading the prosecution of Brown.
A spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to a message left on her voicemail. No one answered a direct number for Brown at his task force office. Essex County Stephens did not immediately respond to a voicemail message on his cell phone.
This story was updated at 12:39 with a comment from Davenport, and at 2:35 with information regarding Brown’s body-worn camera.