Nurse Admits Pepper-Spraying Dementia Patient At Ocean County Facility

MANCHESTER, NJ — A nurse at a Whiting nursing center admitted to pepper-spraying an elderly dementia patient and leaving him without medical assistance, Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) said.

Lisa L. Erikson, of Manchester, pleaded guilty to second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and third-degree neglect of an elderly adult. As part of the plea, she will permanently forfeit her nursing license, and the state will recommend 364 days in county jail as a condition of probation. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13, 2026.

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"The conduct at issue in this case is deeply disturbing," Davenport said. "This defendant was entrusted with the care of an elderly resident and instead assaulted and neglected him. Such conduct is wholly unacceptable, and those who abuse or neglect elderly residents in their care must be held accountable."

On March 19, 2025, Erikson assaulted the patient, authorities said. Erikson told police the elderly patient suffers from dementia, depression, and anxiety; about 8 p.m. he had become agitated and began damaging property within the facility, authorities said. Erikson said she used her personal pepper spray on the man in response to a perceived threat, in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. The man was then kept in his room until police and emergency medical personnel arrived.

Surveillance footage showed the patient damaging property at the nurses' station then walking down the hallway, carrying a computer mouse and a phone, in a manner that did not appear aggressive or threatening, police said at the time. Erikson is then seen approaching the patient from behind and spraying the pepper spray directly to his face at extremely close range, and spraying him twice, police said.

He can be seen falling to the floor and with no one helping him for several minutes before he crawled to stand up and entered another resident's room, police and the attorney general's office said. He was forcibly moved to his room by Erikson and another person, police said. The man then stayed in his room without medical aid for approximately 46 minutes before Manchester EMS arrived and rendered medical assistance before taking the man to Community Medical Center for further evaluation, police said.

This article contains additional reporting by Karen Wall.