Gloucester Township Cop Assaulted 13-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gloucester Township police officer has been charged with assaulting a 13-year-old girl, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Friday. John Flinn, 27, is accused of hitting the girl twice in the face while she was handcuffed as he was responding to a reported disturbance last month.

Flinn, a Gloucester Township police officer since 2015, has been suspended by the Gloucester Township Police Department, which reported the incident to the prosecutor’s office.

He was among a group of officers that was dispatched to investigate a disturbance on March 8, according to the prosecutor’s office. When they arrived they encountered the 13-year-old girl. The girl complied with police instructions, and allowed Flinn to handcuff her. He then hit her twice on the right side of her face with an open hand, causing her to cry out in pain, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The incident was recorded by the responding officers’ body-worn cameras. The girl was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. She isn’t facing criminal charges. The prosecutor's office didn't specify what type of disturbance police were responding to.

He was charged on Friday with simple assault, a disorderly person’s offense. He has a court date scheduled for April 17, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The Gloucester Township Police Department confirmed that Flinn was suspended Friday evening. A spokesman referred all further comment on the matter to the prosecutor’s office. The police department released the same information in an alert later Friday evening.

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