A police sergeant from New Jersey is facing criminal charges for allegedly taking camera equipment valued at $10,000 from a photojournalist who was hurt while covering heated demonstrations at a Newark immigration detention facility.
Darryl Brown, who works as a sergeant with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, was discovered in possession of the stolen equipment after the photojournalist tracked her missing gear to his residence using GPS technology, according to the state’s attorney general announced Thursday.
The reporter, Angelina Katsanis, was working for The Associated Press at Delaney Hall on Saturday evening when a wooden beam hit her knee during confrontations between law enforcement and protesters.
While limping toward a medical station for help, Katsanis abandoned her equipment bag, which displayed her name and contact details. When she was finally permitted to come back to the location — now using a wheelchair — her bag had disappeared.
“I checked my Airtag and the bag was already on a highway pretty far away at that point,” Katsanis recalled. “Right away, I had a feeling it was the police because they were the only ones with access to that area.”
While Katsanis received medical care at a local hospital, the tracking device showed signals from a residence in Sparta, New Jersey, registered under Brown’s name, the attorney general’s office stated. The tracking device was subsequently found discarded along a roadside, several miles from the house where it had been taken.
An examination of Brown’s body camera video revealed him “interacting” with the equipment bag at the demonstration site, the attorney general’s office reported. When investigators searched his residence Wednesday with a warrant, they discovered multiple missing items, some marked with Katsanis’ name and telephone number, according to court documents.
Details about Brown’s legal representation were not immediately accessible. A voicemail left at a phone number associated with Brown went unanswered. He is facing third-degree theft charges and has been placed on unpaid suspension, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed.
Katsanis, who has received training for covering dangerous situations, described feeling profoundly disturbed by the incident.
“I’ve thought a lot about how the officers are supposed to be there to uphold the law and protect us and protect property — and this is the exact opposite of that,” she said.
The detention facility has emerged as a focal point for demonstrations opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, frequently resulting in confrontations between protesters and police.
These protests have grown more intense recently as advocacy groups reported that inmates began a hunger strike due to inadequate living conditions at the 1,000-bed facility. Federal officials have rejected claims of poor conditions and blamed demonstrators for escalating tensions.
Katsanis reported experiencing swelling and bruising on her leg but sustained no broken bones.
