July 29, 2024
Doug Hood/USA TODAY NETWORK
Former New Jersey State Trooper Nicholas Hogan, 28, of Gibbstown, pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault for punching a handcuffed woman in the back of a squad car during a stop in Upper Deerfield on Sept. 7, 2022.
A former New Jersey state trooper who punched a woman while she was handcuffed in the back of a squad car two years ago has pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault, the New Jersey Office of Attorney General said.
Nicholas Hogan, 28, of Gibbstown, Gloucester County, was accused of striking the woman moments after she had spit in his direction on Sept. 7, 2022, investigators said. The woman had been detained because she was wandering along a road in Upper Deerfield Township, Cumberland County around 1:30 a.m. and she appeared to be intoxicated. State police said the woman matched the description of a person reported to be trespassing in the area.
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Hogan was carrying a flashlight in his hand when he hit the woman, investigators said. He was charged last November. The attorney general's office said Hogan's use of force was "completely avoidable" and the degree of force he used was unreasonable.
The woman, who was not named, was spotted on the road by two other state troopers. They called for backup and medics to conduct a medical evaluation of the woman.
Investigators said the woman became distraught and repeatedly walked away from police at the scene. She was then placed in handcuffs and put into the back of the squad car.
Body-worn camera footage shows the woman crying and her face covered in mucous, investigators said. She asked for a tissue multiple times but was never given one. From the back of the squad car, she was seen spitting on the ground from an open passenger door, including in the area of a trooper standing nearby, investigators said.
The footage then shows Hogan opening the rear door on the other side of the squad car and saying to the woman, "If you f***ing spit on a trooper."
At that point, the woman spit toward Hogan and he allegedly leaned into the car to strike her while her hands were cuffed behind her back, investigators said. The extent of the woman's injuries was not disclosed. She was not arrested or charged with a crime.
"The defendant in this case inexcusably crossed the line, and he has been held accountable for his conduct," Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.
Prosecutors plan to recommend that Hogan serve a year in county jail followed by a term of probation. He also will be banned for life from holding public office or public employment.
