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.