Bodycam footage released after mid-arrest medical episode in Hunterdon County turns deadly
Officials say police responded to the scene on March 10 after a 911 caller reported that 61-year-old Steven Fitzpatrick had threatened to kill them with a firearm during a dispute.
More Stories
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released new body camera footage related to the death of a man following a police encounter in Franklin Township.
Officials say police responded to the scene on March 10 after a 911 caller reported that 61-year-old Steven Fitzpatrick had threatened to kill them with a firearm during a dispute.
Fitzpatrick allegedly left the property and said he would return to commit the act. A responding officer who witnessed his vehicle arrive began conducting an arrest.
Officials say he refused orders to walk toward the officer, stating that he needed to remain near an oxygen tank inside the vehicle.
As three officers worked to handcuff him, Fitzpatrick suffered a medical episode near the vehicle. Authorities say police provided medical aid until personnel responded to take him to Hunterdon Medical Center for treatment.
Fitzpatrick was later pronounced dead on March 15. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office says the “circumstances of the encounter and cause and manner of death are under investigation.”
