NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey law enforcement officer has been charged with theft after prosecutors alleged he stole camera equipment belonging to an Associated Press photojournalist who was injured while covering protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Thursday that Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Sgt. Darryl Brown, 43, faces a third-degree theft charge stemming from an incident during anti-ICE demonstrations on May 30. Authorities allege Brown took a camera bag containing approximately $10,000 worth of equipment belonging to Associated Press photographer Angelina Katsanis.
Katsanis was reportedly injured during the protest and transported to a nearby hospital. According to investigators, Brown allegedly removed the bag while she was receiving medical attention. Authorities later recovered the equipment during a search of Brown’s home. Some of the items reportedly still displayed Katsanis’s name and contact information when they were found.
Davenport said the case reflects her office’s commitment to investigating allegations of misconduct by law enforcement officers. Brown has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II. If convicted, Brown could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
The incident occurred amid ongoing demonstrations and confrontations surrounding Delaney Hall, an immigration detention facility that has become a focal point for protests against federal immigration enforcement policies. Local officials have recently begun reducing police deployments around the facility as tensions have eased.
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