New Jersey state trooper pleads guilty to punching handcuffed woman in the face

A New Jersey State Police trooper has pleaded guilty to punching a handcuffed woman in the face as she awaited a medical evaluation in a police vehicle.

Nicolas J. Hogan, 28, pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault on Thursday, nearly two years after the incident, which the woman’s lawyer says has left her with lasting headaches.

In the early hours of Sept. 7, 2022, New Jersey State Police responded to a report of a trespasser in Upper Deerfield Township, Cumberland County. On their way to the scene, police encountered a woman they believed to be the trespasser walking in the middle of the road, appearing to be intoxicated.

Police detained her, and she became increasingly distraught. Medics and additional troopers were called, including Hogan, of Gibbstown, Gloucester County.

The woman began protesting her detainment, attempting to walk away, crying, and spitting on the ground police said.

She was not under arrest, but the troopers handcuffed her with her hands behind her back and put her inside a police vehicle.

At one point, the woman spat in the direction of a trooper standing near the vehicle, authorities said. When Hogan opened the door and cursed at her, she spat in his direction, authorities said.

Hogan punched her in the face while holding a metal flashlight in his hand, authorities said. The woman suffered a contusion and her nose was dislocated, according to Stanley King, her attorney. King said all charges against the woman were dropped.

Under the plea agreement, Hogan is banned for life from holding public office and public employment. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 13.

“Law enforcement officers often interact with people having the worst day of their lives,” said Drew Skinner, executive director of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. “But they cannot allow themselves to be provoked into using force that does not serve a legitimate public safety interest. When officers unnecessarily and illegally harm a member of the public, they deteriorate the public’s fragile trust and they will face consequences.”

An attorney for Hogan could not immediately be reached for comment.

As for the woman, she is still recovering and continues to have headaches, her lawyer says.

“She had no intention of spitting in anyone’s direction, her face was full of tears and mucus,” said King. “She was harmless, defenseless, and in need of medical attention.”