NJ Woman Sues Police After Uncensored Arrest Video Goes Viral

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A North Jersey woman is suing a police department in Passaic County for releasing footage of her arrest that shows her breasts.

The suit stems from Aug. 30, 2025, when the woman was involved in a domestic violence incident with her sister in Little Falls.

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That day, the Little Falls Police Department arrested the woman and took her to police headquarters for processing and detention, the suit says.

During her processing, arresting officers' body camera footage captured the "unintended exposure" of the woman's breasts.

Days later, a content creator filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request with the Little Falls Police Department to acquire the footage, according to the suit.

The lawsuit names the former Records Clerk for the Little Falls
Police Department who was responsible for processing the OPRA request.

He released the footage, uncensored, and the video went viral, with at least one publicly available posting of the video accumulating hundreds of thousands of views, according to the suit.

One republication of the video had censored the woman's intimate parts, proving that the police department could have done the same.

After the woman filed a citizens' complaint, an internal investigator determined that because of the domestic nature of the arrest, the footage should not have been released at all, let alone unedited, the suit reads.

In New Jersey, domestic violence incidents do not fall under public record, due to the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991.

"Once intimate imagery is released into the public domain, practical recovery is often impossible," the suit reads.

As a result, the woman has suffered embarrassment, humiliation, and emotional distress, as well as damage to her reputation and loss of privacy, according to the lawsuit.

The suit claims Right to Bodily Integrity, Unreasonable Search and Seizure, and Invasion of Privacy, to name a few counts.

"The Township is aware of the lawsuit that has been filed," a Little Falls Police Department spokesperson told Patch. "As this matter involves pending litigation, it would be inappropriate for the Township to comment on the specific allegations or circumstances at this time. The Township will address the matter through the appropriate legal process."