Public speakers press Middlesex County commissioners on New Brunswick officer-involved fatality, call for transparency and civilian review

County commissioners in Middlesex County opened a public-comment period in which residents, a local journalist and others urged faster, clearer action and more oversight after an officer-involved fatality in New Brunswick that resulted in the death of Deborah Terrell.

Charlie Cradwell, a reporter with New Brunswick Today, told the commissioners he had identified the officer involved as Officer Josue Plaza and said Plaza had previously received an eight-day suspension for misconduct. "There has not been a timely or transparent response from the city, from the county, or from the attorney general's office," Cradwell said, and added he wanted more than expressions of sympathy.

Commission leadership said the matter has been referred to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office for a full investigation. "Any kind of police procedures or matters, they come under the guidelines of the attorney general's office," a county commissioner said during the meeting, adding that the county had notified the Attorney General's Office and urged that the review be handled "judiciously and expeditiously."

Several speakers pressed the board to take additional steps. Danielle Bongiovanni, who said she attended a New Brunswick City Council meeting on the same subject, urged commissioners to watch the council's roughly two-and-a-half-hour meeting recording of grieving residents and to consider whether the county should do more than request action from the attorney general's office. "There is room to grow, and there's always room to look for more actions to take," Bongiovanni said.

Taylor Miller, a resident who identified herself as from Somerset, described the video clip circulated by residents and said that, in her view, the incident escalated to deadly force within seconds. "Within 5 seconds, she was maced, sprayed, and shot at least 3 times," Miller said. Other commenters called for civilian review boards and broader reforms to internal affairs processes.

Speakers and callers framed the issue as both a local tragedy and a broader accountability concern; multiple public speakers said they were dissatisfied with current transparency and disciplinary processes. Commissioners reiterated the limits of county jurisdiction over municipal police operations while saying they had made contact with the attorney general and asked for timely public information.

No formal county action or new policy was adopted at the meeting on the police matter; comments were part of the public-comment period. Commissioners did not announce any county-initiated investigations or binding changes to oversight during the session. The attorney general's office remains the lead agency for the investigation, according to the commissioner's remarks.

The public speakers asked the county to consider additional measures, such as supporting civilian oversight or following up with municipal leaders; commissioners said they would continue to urge the attorney general to move promptly and provide information to the community.