NJ state trooper avoids jail for punching handcuffed woman

🔻 NJ trooper avoids jail after plea deal

🔻 Victim was handcuffed when punched in face

🔻 Ex-trooper agrees to ban on public employment

A 29-year-old New Jersey state police trooper from Gloucester County has avoided serving jail time after admitting to punching a handcuffed woman in the face.

Nicolas Hogan, of Gibbstown, had previously pleaded guilty in July to third-degree aggravated assault in Cumberland County Superior Court.

The woman, who was punched while awaiting a medical evaluation, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $1.5 million.

In the plea deal, prosecutors had sought a day shy of a year in county jail before two years of probation.

Superior Court Judge Joseph Chiarello on Oct. 3 delivered a suspended sentence of the jail time, under the condition that Hogan complete probation.

The state Attorney General's Office confirmed the sentence from three weeks earlier with a press release on Wednesday.

Hogan had been suspended without pay since November 2023 and was fired by the State Police in September, according to state prosecutors.

RELATED: NJ woman sues State Police for excessive force, false arrest

“This was an unjustified act of violence against a defenseless, distraught woman," Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a written release on Wednesday.

He continued "It was not needed to control this situation — the victim was already detained and in handcuffs — and there was no legitimate objective to using force in this instance, violating policy and the law."

“It appears to be that, unfortunately, there are certain lapses that result in criminal prosecution even with an otherwise unblemished, perfectly lived life,” Chiarello said, as quoted by NJ.com, which added that Hogan told the judge he was sorry for his decision and "I promise I’m going to do my best every day to become a better person.”

Woman detained for medical eval before being struck

The incident happened in September 2022 in Upper Deerfield Township, when troopers found the woman walking in the middle of a road.

While she was held for medical evaluation, she began crying and trying to get away. She was handcuffed and detained, but not arrested.

Read More: AG: NJ new moms dealt with secret drug tests at hospitals

The lawsuit filed in July against Hogan and the New Jersey State Police claims excessive force, false imprisonment and failure to intervene.

Following the punch while in handcuffs, she was arrested and held in jail for more than a week, only to have all charges dismissed, according to the complaint.

Screenshots from troopers’ body-worn cameras are included in the suit, which also describes videotaped footage.

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