Updated December 8, 2023

TRENTON — The Attorney General’s Office has concluded its investigation into a death that occurred Wednesday, November 8, 2023, in Bellmawr, New Jersey. One adult male was found unresponsive, and was pronounced deceased, in a restroom in the publicly accessible lobby area of the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) Bellmawr Station.

According to the investigation, on November 7, 2023, at approximately 11:05 p.m., members of the NJSP responded to a motor vehicle accident in which the male was involved. He was subsequently placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence, processed at the NJSP Bellmawr Station, and later released from police custody. Then, the male suffered a medical episode in the lobby’s restroom and became unresponsive. State troopers and emergency medical personnel performed lifesaving efforts, which were unsuccessful. The male was pronounced deceased at 3:24 a.m. The investigation revealed that the death did not occur during an encounter with law enforcement, while he was in custody, or as a result of any actions by law enforcement officers.

A 2019 law, P.L. 2019, c. 1, requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved. As this investigation is complete and a determination was made that the death does not to fall under the purview of N.J. Statute § 52:17B-107(a)(2) or the Independent Prosecutor Directive (2019-4), the matter will not be presented to a grand jury in connection with the actions of any law enforcement officers and no further information is being released at this time.

###