NJ NJ - Felix DeJesus, 41, picked up then dropped off by police, Paterson, 2 Feb 2022 *Reward* *Officers suspended WOP*

[bykerladi]

Things are heating up. Interesting that Paterson is finally paying attention. Lets hope this brings some hope to FD's family.

N.J. officers suspended without pay following contact with man who later disappeared

Paterson officers who detained Felix DeJesus in February have been suspended

www.nj.com

 

[bykerladi]

MSN

 

[PommyMommy]

MSN

From the article:

[...]

De Jesus’ family concedes he had been drinking back on Feb. 2nd, the night he was arrested outside a bodega on the Paterson-Haledon border. He was handcuffed and put in a patrol car by rookie Paterson police officers Jacob Feliciano and Dodi Zorrilla — even though the woman who complained de Jesus had harassed her didn’t file charges.

The Paterson Police department released new body camera video Friday, which showed the woman speaking to the police officers during the incident. On the recording, one of the officers can be heard telling the woman "to write something up saying he touched you or something like that."

But the woman refused, saying she wasn't interested in going through all the paperwork required. She said she just wanted to go back inside her home, and declined to file a police report.

[...]

It was four months before the family got the body cam video, and they say it still doesn’t tell the whole story.

"Even they turned off their cameras, so now we know nothing. They didn't make a report to the police department. It was ten days later that the family find out where Felix was, but we already had proof he was in the hands of the Paterson Police Department," said Eric de Jesus. "We called all the hospitals, morgues, everywhere — and they say they never had Felix…Paterson police should know what happened to him. They were the last people to have him."

[...]

 

[bykerladi]

AFAIK the NJ AG required all body cameras to be on and functional after 2020 (I think) so they violated protocol.

Editing to add link: AG Grewal Issues Directive On Use Of Body Worn Cameras By Broad Range Of Law Enforcement Officers - New Jersey Office of Attorney General

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 9, 2022

Family of man who went missing after encounter with Paterson police officers seeks answers

Felix DeJesus, 41, went missing nine months ago.

westchester.news12.com

[...]

"The last time Felix DeJesus was seen was not with these police officers, [but with] five individuals, one of which is considered a person of interest,” the mayor says.

This is the latest in a long line of issues with the Paterson Police Department. Sayegh just fired the chief of police. An officer was fired for assaulting a person. And a group of officers was charged with robbing and tormenting residents.

There are now growing calls for the county prosecutor to quit for letting it happen under her watch.

[...]

DeJesus was living in Haledon at the time of his disappearance, so that department is still investigating the missing person case.

Family members say because he was drunk, the officers should have never left him at that park. They say he should've been left at a hospital or taken to headquarters.

[...]

 

[YaYa_521]

‘Person of interest’ in Felix DeJesus disappearance opted not to talk to cops, lawyer says

A lawyer for the family of Felix DeJesus said a person of interest in his disappearance would not speak to cops.

news.yahoo.com

November 2, 2022
SBM
“Our sources tell us that a person of interest lawyered up and won’t talk to the police,” said DeJesus family lawyer Jeff Patti.

The “person of interest” was one of the five people DeJesus encountered in the park, Patti said. Haledon authorities told a private investigator working for Patti that the person refused to speak with borough police detectives and asked for legal representation.

Snip

C.G., DeJesus’ sister-in-law, said she personally found four of the people who police say “congregated” with the missing man and talked to them. She said the man who stayed with Felix while the others went to the liquor store told her he left to go to work and gave Felix his sweater to stay warm. The others said no one was there went they got back to the fire.

#More at link

 

[NeverPersonal]

Things are heating up. Interesting that Paterson is finally paying attention. Lets hope this brings some hope to FD's family.

N.J. officers suspended without pay following contact with man who later disappeared

Paterson officers who detained Felix DeJesus in February have been suspended

www.nj.com

Must be serious. You never see them suspended WITHOUT pay even when they 100% should be...

 

[GuyfromCanada]

NOV 30

The family of a New Jersey man who has been missing for nearly 10 months, vanishing the same night he was arrested, is seeking criminal charges be filed against the officers who brought him into custody.

The last time Felix de Jesus was seen was the day police in Paterson detained him back in February. His family concedes he had been drinking on Feb. 2nd, the night he was arrested outside a bodega on the Paterson-Haledon border. He was handcuffed and put in a patrol car by rookie Paterson police officers Jacob Feliciano and Dodi Zorrilla — even though the woman who complained de Jesus had harassed her didn’t file charges.

More at Family of Missing NJ Man Seeks Charges Against Police Officers Who Saw Him Last

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I can't believe this thread has only a mere 28 posts.

So sad for Felix and those who love and care about him.

 

[OddOneOut]

Have any organized searches been conducted in the area where witnesses last saw

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 2, 2023

‘We will never stop looking for Felix,’ N.J. family vows on 1-year anniversary that man vanished

Felix DeJesus, 41, of Haledon, went missing on Feb. 2 after Paterson Police struggled with and detained him around 8:55 p.m. outside a bodega in Paterson for allegedly harassing a woman inside.

www.nj.com

[...]

For the one-year anniversary of his disappearance today, the family spoke with NJ Advance Media about the case and their exhaustive search for him. They’ve scheduled a vigil for him at 7 p.m. at Westside Park in Paterson.

Their efforts have been myriad: They have filed public records requests for information, tracked down and interviewed people who last saw or spoke with Felix, and secured video of his movements along the streets of Paterson on the last day anyone saw him. They’ve reviewed Paterson police body-cam video of a struggle he had with the officers who detained him and attended every Paterson City Council meeting since he vanished, protesting and pleading publicly with city leaders to do something to help find him.

The family said they are no closer to finding him than they were a year ago. The Haledon Police Department is still investigating ...

[...]

Felix’s mother, Wanda Grullon, is in declining health. His children battle depression and anxiety. His brothers say the daily struggle of waking up, getting dressed for work and spending hours scouring the Passaic River and streets of Paterson for him has become mentally exhausting.

But “We will never stop looking for Felix,” Eric said.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 3, 2023

After vigil for Felix DeJesus, his family barred from Mendez safety meeting

About 50 family members, friends and activists held a candlelight vigil Thursday night to mark one year after 41-year-old Felix DeJesus went missing.

www.northjersey.com

On the anniversary of his disappearance, Felix DeJesus’ family members and their supporters were barred Thursday night from attending a safety meeting open to the public and hosted by Councilman Alex Mendez at a city school.

[...]

Paterson Police Chief Engelbert Ribeiro said there had been a “miscommunication” that resulted in the DeJesus group being denied access. The chief said there was a “misunderstanding” about whether the meeting was already over when the group arrived.

[...]

As temperatures dipped below freezing, about 50 DeJesus family members, friends and activists had gathered near Front Street, on the crest of a hill overlooking the Passaic River.

That was the spot where DeJesus was dropped off by two Paterson police officers who had detained him in handcuffs...

[...]

“This is no anniversary, this is no celebration,” said Teague, speaking to the people at the vigil with a bullhorn. “Today is a day of mourning.”

The speeches at the vigil expressed frustration toward city officials who they said have done little to help them, anger toward the Paterson police department, which they blamed for the DeJesus disappearance, and sadness for the missing man and his hurting family.

[...]

“It’s cold tonight, right? We’re shivering,” said activist Sebastian Mejiao. “The fact of the matter is that it was colder last year,” he noted, referring to the frigid temperatures when DeJesus went missing.

[...]

 

[modesty blaise]

It's terrible that his loved ones are being treated as though they did something wrong.

 

[modesty blaise]

Things are heating up. Interesting that Paterson is finally paying attention. Lets hope this brings some hope to FD's family.

N.J. officers suspended without pay following contact with man who later disappeared

Paterson officers who detained Felix DeJesus in February have been suspended

www.nj.com

Wow! Sounds like this dept is in need of severe oversight.

 

[PNW]

It never ends well when a POC is last seen in the company of law enforcement.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 7, 2023

A year of anguish and still no answers for family of N.J. man last seen with police | Calavia-Robertson

Haledon man Felix DeJesus, 41, was last seen in custody of two Paterson police officers who say they dropped him off at Westside Park.

www.nj.com

[...]

There in Westside Park, in the same spot where, on a freezing cold night a year ago, two Paterson police officers say they dropped Felix off — in nothing but a thin T-shirt and sweatpants — Wanda stood in silence next to her sons, Giovanni and Eric DeJesus.

As they spoke, she sobbed quietly, lowering her gaze sadly toward the floor. A voice in the crowd said, “que hable la madre” — let the mother speak. But Wanda simply replied, “No puedo” — I can’t.

Minutes later, she mustered up the strength and in Spanish said, “Mi hijo me hace falta demasiado y no puedo vivir más sin él.” She said she misses her son too much and can’t live without him anymore.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 21, 2023

Residents want federal oversight of the Paterson Police Department

PATERSON, N.J. (PIX11) — Frustrations boiled over during a Tuesday night City Council meeting in Paterson, New Jersey. “The Seabrooks situation is a very sad situation,” said one angered resi…

pix11.com

[...]

CG is the sister-in-law of Felix DeJesus – who has been missing for more than a year shortly after being in police custody.

“Felix DeJesus, Najee Seabrooks, Jameek Lowery, Thelonious McKnight, Haneif Booker, Khalif Cooper, Ssamah Alsaidi, Jerel Wilkins, Gregory Linden, just to name a few,” said Garcia. “We continue to demand and actively seek that the attorney general’s office request that the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division start a pattern and practice investigation into the Paterson police department. It is long overdue.”

City Council Member Luis Velez says he has no issue with federal oversight.

“If that’s going to bring some kind of peace to our city – let it be. We welcome it. There’s nothing to hide – why not let them come in?” said Velez

[...]

 

[sds71]

@Phil_Lewis_
https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey takes control of police force in third-largest city, Paterson, weeks after officers shot and killed anti-violence worker.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 30, 2023

Families of victims of Paterson Police violence hold rally and attend council meeting at City Hall in Paterson on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

Families of victims of Paterson Police violence hold rally and attend council meeting at City Hall in Paterson on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

www.nj.com

Eric DeJesus, brother of Felix DeJesus, holds a poster of his brother during a rally held for multiple families of victims of Paterson Police Department's violence and misconduct outside City Hall in Paterson on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Families of Najee Seabrooks, Felix DeJesus, Thelonious McKnight, and Jameek Lowery were in attendance for a rally held prior to a public council meeting.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Authorities resume search for Haledon man 18 months after disappearance

Authorities resumed searching for Felix DeJesus on Wednesday, more than 18 months after he went missing in a case clouded by controversy.

www.northjersey.com

********
Authorities resumed searching for DeJesus on Wednesday, more than 18 months after he went missing in a case clouded by controversy over two Paterson police officers’ role in his disappearance.

*********
After the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office took control of the Paterson Police Department in March, state authorities promised to do everything possible to solve the case, DeJesus family members said.

But it was several more months before Wednesday’s search took place. The operation involved officers from the Attorney General’s Office, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, Paterson police and Haledon police, as well as water search-and-rescue teams from the Paterson Fire Department.

******
Isa Abbassi, officer in charge of the Paterson Police Department, noted that the Attorney General’s Office and Haledon police are leading the missing person investigation. But he also said the Paterson department is committed to doing whatever it can to help the probe, in an effort “to bring closure to this case.”

“This is going to be a sustained effort,” Abbassi said when asked about the new search.

The missing man’s family members expressed little confidence in Wednesday’s search efforts.

*********
More at the link.