NJ Jury Declines To Charge Newark Cops After Summit Man’s Death

NEWARK, NJ — A state grand jury has voted not to file any criminal charges in connection with the death of a Summit resident, who died while in custody of the Newark Police Department two years ago, prosecutors announced Thursday.

According to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Juan Restrepo, 73, died on June 15, 2020. Prosecutors released the following statement about his death, noting that despite the officers’ initial suspicion that Restrepo was driving while intoxicated, medical examiners didn’t find any alcohol or illegal drug present in his body.

“According to the investigation, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on the morning of June 15, 2020, Mr. Restrepo was approached by officers Lorenzo Orsi and Lucfred Petion of the Newark Police Department (NPD) after a report of an intoxicated man behind the wheel of a car. Mr. Restrepo was taken into custody on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He was then transported to a NJ Transit station, where officials attempted to obtain a breathalyzer reading. A reading was not able to be obtained. Mr. Restrepo was subsequently transferred back to a waiting NPD vehicle. Shortly after the vehicle began to drive away, an officer noticed a change in Mr. Restrepo’s condition. As a result, the vehicle stopped and Mr. Restrepo was taken out of the vehicle. Officers and a woman identifying herself as a nurse rendered medical aid to him before EMTs arrived. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 1:17 p.m. An autopsy was performed and the medical examiner concluded that the manner of death was natural and the cause of death was atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. No alcohol or illegal drug was present in Mr. Restrepo’s body.”

State prosecutors said the death was investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office with oversight from the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and presented to New Jersey residents called to serve on the grand jury in accordance with Directive 2019-4, the “Independent Prosecutor Directive” issued in 2019.

“The investigation of this death in custody included interviews of witnesses, review of video footage and autopsy results from the medical examiner,” prosecutors said. “After hearing testimony and evidence from the investigation, the grand jury concluded its deliberations September 13 and voted ‘no bill,’ meaning the grand jury concluded that no criminal charges should be filed against the officers involved in this death in custody.”

More information about how fatal police encounters are investigated in New Jersey can be found online here.

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