Corrections officer charged with assaulting inmate, fabricating evidence

A grand jury indicted a former state Department of Corrections officer on charges that he falsely accused an inmate of possessing a weapon, assaulted the inmate, then filed a false report about the incident. 

Prosecutors said the defendant is Daniel Petoia, a 34-year-old from Manahawkin, New Jersey. The incident occurred on December 20, 2024, at New Jersey State Prison on Cass Street in Trenton.

“It is critical that corrections officers adhere to the law while performing their difficult, essential work in our criminal justice system,” Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a release. “The State cannot and will not look the other way when incarcerated individuals are assaulted without justification by those who should be upholding and enforcing the law.”

Petoia faces charges of official misconduct, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, tampering with public records, making false reports to law enforcement agencies, and tampering with physical evidence, for a total of 12 counts. The second-degree official misconduct charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years, and the other charges, all third- or fourth-degree, can also carry prison sentences.

The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability is prosecuting the case. OPIA Executive Director Eric Gibson said prisoners should not face “arbitrary violence” from correctional officers, and that such conduct undermines the justice system.

According to prosecutors, Petoia allegedly possessed a “sharpened metal object” that he falsely claimed belonged to the inmate. He allegedly struck the inmate several times, including in the head, while the inmate was on the ground.

After the alleged assault, Petoia allegedly provided false reports about the incident to state officials, but additional evidence showed his descriptions were fabricated.

“The New Jersey Department of Corrections maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse, neglect, or mistreatment of those in our care,” DOC Commissioner Victoria Kuhn said. “Our officers are entrusted to uphold the law and ensure public safety; any betrayal of that responsibility through criminal conduct is a violation of our core mission and will not be tolerated.”

Petoia was not able to be reached for comment.