By: Richard L. Smith
A licensed practical nurse has admitted to assaulting and neglecting an elderly resident at an Ocean County rehabilitation and nursing facility, including repeatedly spraying the man with pepper spray and leaving him without assistance.
According to a statement released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, 57-year-old Lisa L. Erikson of Manchester pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill to aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and neglect of an elderly adult.
Authorities said the charges stem from a March 19, 2025 incident at a rehabilitation and nursing center in Whiting, where Erikson was working as a licensed practical nurse.
Court records indicate the victim was an elderly man suffering from dementia, depression and anxiety.
Investigators said Erikson retrieved her personal pepper spray, approached the resident and sprayed him at close range while he attempted to shield himself.
She then sprayed him again before leaving him on the floor.
The resident remained unattended for several minutes before eventually crawling to his feet and entering another resident’s room, according to authorities.
Erikson and another individual later forcibly removed the man from that room, returned him to his own room and closed the door without providing medical assistance.
Police and emergency medical personnel were eventually called to the facility, where the victim was treated before being transported to a hospital.
As part of her guilty plea, Erikson acknowledged that she was not authorized to use the pepper spray against the resident and admitted that she failed to provide care despite having a responsibility to do so.
Under the plea agreement, Erikson will permanently surrender her nursing license. Prosecutors will recommend that she serve 364 days in the county jail as a condition of probation.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13, 2026.