New Jersey State trooper charged after allegedly punching handcuffed woman in Cumberland County

A New Jersey State trooper is facing charges after allegedly punching a handcuffed woman in the face as she awaited a medical evaluation in the back of a police cruiser in Cumberland County last year.

Trooper Nicolas J. Hogan, 28, is being charged with aggravated assault in the 2022 incident, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced Friday. Hogan, of Gibbstown, Gloucester County, was charged by complaint-summons Wednesday following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

“This alleged use of force appears to have been completely avoidable, and the degree of force used was unreasonable,” said OPIA executive director Thomas Eicher in a statement. “We cannot have police officers assaulting people in distress while they are restrained and posing no threat. It is uncalled for, unhelpful, improper, and unlawful.”

On Sept. 7, 2022, New Jersey State Police responded to a report of a trespasser in Upper Deerfield Township at about 1:30 a.m. On the way to investigate, troopers encountered a woman, whom authorities did not identify, walking in the road while allegedly inebriated. She was stopped and detained, and the troopers called for a medical evaluation and additional personnel, which included Hogan.

The woman, who was handcuffed, began crying as she was detained, and attempted to walk away. Due to her distraught state, the Attorney General’s Office said, she was spitting on the ground, and at one point spat near a trooper while sitting in the police cruiser.

Hogan observed this, and opened the door to warn the woman. She spat in his direction, and Hogan allegedly responded by punching her in the face while holding a flashlight in his closed fist.

Authorities did not elaborate on what injuries, if any, the woman suffered as a result of the incident.

Hogan’s alleged actions showed force being used “disproportionately and without justification against a vulnerable civilian,” Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement.

“The vast majority of New Jersey’s law enforcement officers exhibit professionalism and extraordinary restraint in the course of their duties and while dealing with trying circumstances,” Platkin said. “We will not allow situations like this one ... to damage the reputation of our hardworking and admirable law enforcement community.”

Hogan’s charges carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $15,000, if he is convicted.