TRENTON – A Brick resident working at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center’s Special Treatment Unit in Woodbridge was sentenced to three years in prison for using excessive force and assaulting a resident.
Giuseppe Mandara, 55, of Brick, was also made to forfeit his public employment and be forever disqualified from any future public office or employment. He had worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections for 15 years at the time of the incident on August 23, 2019.
Police said that after a verbal disagreement at Mandara’s desk, the victim was walking away to his assigned work location when Mandara continued the dispute, taking off his duty belt and following the victim. Prosecutors noted that the utility belt included the keys to the facility and a radio, pointing out that the defendant’s anger had reached the level that “he simply did not care if he had left unoccupied for any resident to retrieve these critical pieces of security equipment.”
Mandara issued curses and threats to the victim while he followed him instead of de-escalating the situation, like he was trained to do. Another corrections officer attempted to block Mandara, police said.
Mandara then began a physical assault, and he and the victim ended up on the ground, where the altercation continued. As part of his plea, he admitted his actions were done with the intent to cause significant bodily injury and were excessive and without justification.
Several days later the victim suffered a fatal stroke. The grand jury did not initiate homicide charges in connection with the victim’s death.
“This needless, unprofessional attack was inconsistent with the years of experience and training that this officer had. In a moment of rage, he lost sight of his responsibilities and his position and set out to simply inflict excessive physical harm,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “This type of conduct undermines the good work done every day by other law enforcement officers to uphold the law and ensure public safety across New Jersey. My office is committed to ensuring that people who are in custody are not subjected to abuse, violence, or violations of their rights by those representing the State.”
“Rather than following his training and de-escalating this situation, the defendant enflamed a verbal dispute into a physical confrontation,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of Office of Public Integrity & Accountability. “He subsequently concocted a false narrative claiming that his actions were self-defense. Unnecessary and excessive uses of force against those in custody will not be taken lightly, and the defendant will now be held to account.”
The post Corrections Officer Sentenced For Assault appeared first on Jersey Shore Online.
