Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea announced that four officers involved in a controversial June 4th pursuit that saw shots fired and ended in a fiery crash have been suspended – with two deputy chiefs reassigned as well.
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“The officers and supervisors acted outside of the guidelines of training and while the Hudson County prosecutors office conducts further investigation, several violations have been that identified and will be addressed immediately,” Fulop said during a City Hall press conference with Shea.
Fulop further stated that the violations included pursuit time and distance involved, setting up a roadblock, firing shots in a moving vehicle and the events that has been seen on a viral cell phone video after the crash.
“As a result the four officers were suspended today, indefinitely, without pay. In addition, two deputies were transferred out of their current assignments,” he added.
The four officers are Lt. Keith Ludwig, MD Kahn, Erik Kosinski and Francisco Rodriguez.
Ludwig was seen on the aforementioned video where an officer kicked an innocent bystander who was on fire, but the mayor did not specify his role in the video.
The next step of the process is waiting for the officer interviews from the results of the investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Shea, none of the suspended officer’s had an extensive past disciplinary record.
When one reporter asked what the mayor’s concern is when people see the video of the bystander being struck while on fire, Fulop deferred to the prosecutor’s office, who is investigating the case.
“I’m going to leave those comments to the investigation of the Hudson County Prosecutors office. It’s just that everything is taken into consideration,” answered Fulop.
“What we are focusing on today is things that we certainly know.”
Ray Worrall, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, declined to comment on the decision made by the city since the investigation is still ongoing.
According to Shea, the pursuit began when the police officers attempted to pull over a vehicle that fit the description of a vehicle that was involved with the shooting several nights ago.
His refusal to pull over led to a high-speed chase over the course of six miles.
