Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose reports that after reviewing the video of a male jumping on a police vehicle, that went viral on social media this past Saturday, August 4th, 2018, an investigation was launched into the matter by the Office of Professional Standards.
According to officials, after a review of all body worn camera video, Public Safety Director Ambrose suspended the officer who remained in his vehicle, and a second officer who responded as backup.
Their names are being withheld due to the internal investigation which is on-going, and both officers will be afforded all rights of due process.
The officer who remained in his vehicle during the incident has seven months of service time with the Newark Police Division, and the officer who responded as backup has ten years of service time.
The suspect, Altahriq Aulston, 18, of the 200 block of Weequahic Avenue, Newark, was arrested and charged with three counts of criminal mischief.
Police Aulston was charged and remanded to the Essex County Jail.
Public Safety Director Ambrose stated, “All officers are trained to respond in various types of situations, including ones where they encounter unstable individuals. These officers instead took no action at all to quell the situation, and to aid and subdue the suspect, as they are trained to do.
This lack of action could have resulted in the suspect injuring himself, as well as other persons or property,” Director Ambrose added. “The majority of Newark Police Division officers are proud and hardworking. The Newark Police Division and the citizens of Newark deserve better than what was demonstrated by these officers.
They had an opportunity, and an obligation, to help the suspect, who was acting irrationally, and they failed to do so. We should not confuse restraint with a lack of response. If they did not help themselves, then how can we expect them to help the citizens that they serve.”