By: Najla Alexander
NJ AG authorities announced the sentencing of a former New Jersey State Police (NJSP) trooper for a September 2022 assault in Cumberland County, in which he punched a woman in the face while holding a metal flashlight as the victim was handcuffed in the back seat of a police vehicle.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin stated that Nicolas Hogan, 28, of Gibbstown, was sentenced by Judge Joseph M. Chiarello on September 30, 2024, in New Jersey Superior Court in Cumberland County.
Hogan was sentenced to two years of probation, conditioned on up to 364 days in the county jail. The court suspended the jail term, officials say. Judge Chiarello also permanently banned the defendant from all future public employment. Suspended without pay since November 2023, when he was initially charged, Hogan was terminated by the State Police in September 2024.
“This was an unjustified act of violence against a defenseless, distraught woman. 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,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.
“The New Jersey State Police work every day in service of our communities, from providing vital policing duties and responding to emergencies to conducting complex investigations. This incident is not a reflection of the character or the professionalism of the many dedicated, hardworking, and courageous members of the State Police.”
“The badge cannot be used to excuse illegal conduct,” said Executive Director of OPIA, Drew Skinner.
“This sentence illustrates that the improper use of force by law enforcement is unacceptable and no one is above the law.”
Hogan had pleaded guilty on July 25, 2024, to an accusation charging him with one count of aggravated assault (3rd degree), County officials said.
Based on documents filed in the case and statements made in court, the assault occurred on September 7, 2022, in Upper Deerfield Township, Cumberland County, while the defendant and other troopers were waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive to evaluate the victim.
According to NJ AG authorities, NJSP troopers responded to a report of a trespasser at an Upper Deerfield Township residence around 1:30 a.m. On their way to the home, a pair of troopers encountered and identified the victim as the individual described by the caller as walking in the middle of the road.
After the victim was stopped, troopers determined she needed a medical evaluation, and they called for medical personnel as additional troopers, including Trooper Hogan, arrived, authorities say.
NJ AG officials stated the victim was detained but not under arrest. She became increasingly distraught that she was being detained and began weeping. The victim repeatedly protested her detainment and attempted to walk away, resulting in troopers handcuffing and placing her in one of the marked cars, where she asked multiple times for a tissue but was never given one.
Prior to being placed in the vehicle, County officials said, the victim was spitting on the ground, apparently because she had been upset and crying, and body-worn camera footage shows fluid and mucus on her face and falling from her mouth.
At one point, while in the back of the police vehicle, the victim spat in the direction of a trooper standing near the open rear passenger door. Hogan was standing on the other side of the car, outside the rear driver’s side, officials said.
Attorney General Platkin said he opened the door and warned the victim, “If you f***ing spit on a trooper,” as the victim turned toward him and spat again, this time in his direction. Hogan then punched the victim in the face while grasping the metallic flashlight in his clenched fist.
At the time, the victim’s hands were in handcuffs behind her back, and she was secured in the vehicle’s back seat, County authorities said.