New Jersey Police Sergeant Charged with Theft of Photojournalist’s Equipment

A New Jersey police sergeant has been charged with stealing $10,000 worth of cameras and other equipment from a photojournalist injured during protests outside a Newark immigration facility. Darryl Brown, serving in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, was found with the items after the photojournalist tracked the equipment to his home using a geo-tracking device, said the state’s attorney general.

The journalist, Angelina Katsanis, was on assignment for The Associated Press at Delaney Hall when a wood beam struck her knee in a confrontation between police and protesters. As she moved to a medical tent for help, Katsanis left her gear bag, clearly marked with her name and contact details, at the scene. Upon her return, the bag was missing.

“I checked my Airtag and saw the bag was already heading away on a highway,” Katsanis recounted. “I suspected the police since they had access to that area.”

While Katsanis received hospital treatment, the Airtag showed the bag was at a residence in Sparta, New Jersey, linked to Brown, as per the attorney general’s office. The device was later found on a roadside, far from its initial location.

Brown’s body camera footage revealed his interaction with the bag at the protest scene, according to officials. A search warrant at Brown’s home uncovered multiple missing items carrying Katsanis’ identifying information.

No information was available for Brown’s attorney, and calls to a listed phone number for Brown were unanswered. Brown faces third-degree theft charges and has been suspended without pay, stated the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Katsanis, experienced in hostile environment coverage, expressed her distress over the incident. “Police are meant to uphold the law and safeguard people and property; this incident was the opposite,” she said.

The detention center has become a protest hotspot against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, with recurrent clashes between demonstrators and police. Protests have intensified following claims of detainees initiating a hunger strike over poor conditions in the 1,000-bed facility. The federal government has dismissed these claims, accusing protesters of heightening tensions.

Katsanis sustained swelling and bruising in her leg but avoided bone fractures.