2 correctional officers charged with manslaughter in connection to 2019 Atlantic County inmate death

Attorney General Matthew Platkin said that Mario Terruso “was in desperate need of medical help.”

Bob Doda

Apr 25, 2023, 4:14 PM

Updated 611 days ago

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A state grand jury indicted two correctional officers on manslaughter charges Monday in connection to the 2019 death of an inmate at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
A release from Attorney General Matthew Platkin says County Correctional Sgt. Eric Tornblom and Correctional Officer Mark Jenigen were charged with manslaughter. The grand jury also indicted Tornblom with aggravated assault and charged Tornblom, Jenigan, and Correctional Lt. Jesse Swartzentruver with official misconduct in connection with their treatment of Mario Terruso, 41, of Mays Landing, in the jail.
Platkin, in prepared remarks, said that Terruso “was in desperate need of medical help.”
“He pleaded for that assistance, but he never got the help he so desperately needed. In New Jersey, our police officers show compassion and provide help to people dealing with problems and distress on a daily basis, dutifully and often quietly doing the work that makes theirs such a noble profession. But for Mr. Terruso, those sworn to protect him are the very people alleged to have abused him in his time of need – leading the Grand Jury to determine that two of the officers involved are criminally responsible for his death.”
The grand jury also indicted Hamilton Police Sgts. Michael Schnurr and Nicole Nelson, along with Hamilton police officers Servando Pahang, Cory Silvio, and William Howze, on official misconduct charges in connection with their handling of Terruso on the day that he died.