Sergeant charged with stealing journalist’s camera equipment after Delaney Hall protest, AG says
Investigators also allege Brown’s body-worn camera footage showed him handling a dark-colored bag consistent with the description of the journalist’s belongings.
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An Essex County Prosecutor’s Office sergeant has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing a photojournalist’s camera equipment while the journalist was being treated for injuries sustained during a protest at Newark’s Delaney Hall, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Thursday.
Sgt. Darryl Brown, 43, of Sparta Township, was charged with theft following an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability’s Corruption Bureau.
According to investigators, the photojournalist was covering the May 30 protest when they were injured and dropped a camera bag containing cameras and equipment valued at about $10,000. The journalist was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities said the journalist later used an Apple AirTag attached to one of the items to track the bag. Investigators determined the AirTag’s location initially led to a residence in Sparta Township belonging to Brown, who had been assigned to the Delaney Hall protest in his official law enforcement capacity.
The AirTag was later recovered several miles away by a friend of the victim, but the other missing items were not with it, according to the complaint.
Investigators also allege Brown’s body-worn camera footage showed him handling a dark-colored bag consistent with the description of the journalist’s belongings.
On June 3, authorities executed a search warrant at Brown’s home and recovered several items reported missing by the journalist, including equipment labeled with the victim’s name and phone number, according to the attorney general’s office.
Brown has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II said in a statement.
If convicted, Brown faces a potential sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
