By: Tracie Carter
Three New Jersey correctional police officers were acquitted this week of charges stemming from an alleged assault on an inmate at Northern State Prison in Newark.
According to information released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Officers Orlando Mercado, Steven Roberts Jr., and Maton Wilkins — all employees of the New Jersey Department of Corrections — were indicted in September 2023 following a grand jury investigation.
Prosecutors alleged that on March 17, 2020, Mercado and Roberts used excessive force against an incarcerated individual, while Wilkins was accused of assisting in a cover-up by helping falsify official reports.
All three were facing official misconduct charges, with additional allegations against Mercado and Wilkins for allegedly omitting critical information in their incident reports.
However, following a bench trial that began in February, an Essex County Superior Court judge found the officers not guilty on all counts on Tuesday.
The officers had been suspended without pay following the initial accusations. Attorney Patrick Toscano, who represented Mercado, said his client has been off the job since 2021.
“We have requested their immediate reinstatement,” Toscano said in a statement Thursday. “These men are owed years of backpay, and we’re awaiting word from the prison on when they can return to duty.”
Toscano also took aim at Attorney General Matthew Platkin, questioning the credibility of the state’s primary witness, who he said was serving a sentence for murder.
In response to the verdict, Attorney General Platkin issued a statement reaffirming his office’s commitment to ensuring accountability within public institutions.