NJ State Trooper Admits to Punching Handcuffed Woman in the Face

New Jersey State Trooper Admits Punching Handcuffed Woman in the Face While Holding a Flashlight.Photo byMorristown Minute

Trooper Nicolas J. Hogan pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after striking a woman with a flashlight while she was restrained in a police vehicle.

NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey State Police trooper from Gloucester County has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after punching a handcuffed woman in the face with a metal flashlight. The incident occurred on September 7, 2022, while the woman was detained in the backseat of a police vehicle awaiting a medical evaluation.

Nicolas J. Hogan, 28, of Gibbstown, entered the plea on July 25, 2024, before state Superior Court Judge Joseph M. Chiarello in Cumberland County. Hogan admitted to one count of third-degree aggravated assault as part of a plea agreement with the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). The agreement includes a lifetime ban on holding public office and public employment. Prosecutors plan to recommend probation and up to 364 days in county jail at Hogan's sentencing.

“Law enforcement officers face difficult circumstances and put their lives on the line every day. But they must exercise discretion when they need to use force,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The defendant in this case inexcusably crossed the line, and he has been held accountable for his conduct.”

“Law enforcement officers often interact with people having the worst day of their lives,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. “But they cannot allow themselves to be provoked into using force that does not serve a legitimate public safety interest. When officers unnecessarily and illegally harm a member of the public, they deteriorate the public’s fragile trust and they will face consequences.”

The incident occurred after NJSP troopers responded to a report of a trespasser at an Upper Deerfield Township residence around 1:30 a.m. On the way to the home, a pair of NJSP troopers encountered and identified the victim as the individual who the caller had described, and she appeared to be inebriated, walking in the middle of the road.

After the victim was stopped, troopers determined she needed a medical evaluation, and they called for medical personnel as additional troopers, including Trooper Hogan, arrived.

The victim became increasingly distraught that she was being detained and she began weeping. The victim repeatedly protested her detainment and attempted to walk away, resulting in troopers handcuffing and placing her in one of the marked cars, where she asked multiple times for a tissue but was never given one. The victim was detained but not under arrest. Before being placed in the vehicle, the victim was spitting on the ground, apparently because she had been upset and crying, and body-worn camera footage shows fluid and mucus on her face and falling from her mouth.

At one point, while in the back of the police vehicle, the victim spat in the direction of a trooper standing near the open rear passenger door. Trooper Hogan was standing on the other side of the car, outside the rear driver’s side. He opened the door and warned the victim, “If you f***ing spit on a trooper,” as the victim turned toward him and spat again, this time in his direction. Trooper Hogan then punched the victim in the face while holding a metal flashlight in his hand. At the time, the victim’s hands were in handcuffs behind her back and she was secured in the vehicle’s backseat.

Deputy Attorneys General Brian Uzdavinis and Niccole Sandora prosecuted the case under the supervision of OPIA Corruption Bureau Deputy Chief Marian Galietta, Corruption Bureau Chief Jeffrey J. Manis, and OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher.

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