TRENTON – Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced that an inactive correctional police officer for the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) was sentenced to probation conditioned on his serving 364 days in county jail for using unjustified force and breaking the wrist of a male resident at the JJC Juvenile Medium Security Facility in Bordentown, N.J.

Lt. Edward Day, 52, of Paulsboro, N.J.—who worked as a correctional police officer at the JJC Juvenile Medium Security Facility, but who currently is inactive and pending retirement—was sentenced Wednesday, April 13 by Superior Judge Philip Haines in Burlington County to a term of probation conditioned on his serving 364 days in county jail. Day pleaded guilty on February 23, 2022 to third-degree aggravated assault.

On Oct. 25, 2020, Day and other correctional police officers were escorting a 16-year-old juvenile resident from his room to another location in the facility, with his arms handcuffed behind his back, when Day, without apparent cause or justification, grabbed the victim’s ankle from behind, pulled his leg back, and pushed him face forward onto the ground. Day then grabbed hold of the juvenile’s handcuffed wrists and twisted and broke one of them.

“Promoting trust between law enforcement and the public means ensuring that people are treated fairly regardless of their circumstances,” said Acting Attorney General Platkin. “Our rules on the use of force apply to everyone, including individuals in custody.” 

“This sentence reflects the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability’s commitment to holding officers accountable when they use excessive force and do a disservice to their fellow officers who uphold the highest law enforcement standards,” said OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute officers who abuse their authority and undermine the safety of the institutions they serve.” 

Deputy Attorney General Brian Uzdavinis represented the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) at sentencing under the supervision of OPIA Corruption Bureau Chief Peter Lee and OPIA Deputy Director Anthony Picione. Day was charged as the result of an investigation by the OPIA Corruption Bureau and JJC’s Office of Investigations.

Defense Attorney: Mark A. Fury, Esq., Mount Holly, N.J.

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