Did South Jersey police ignore cries to help dying man? Lawsuit could seek answer

PENNSVILLE - Police officers ignored cries to help a man who was fighting for breath in a holding cell and later died, says an attorney for the man’s estate.

Walter S. Zilinski Jr. was the victim of multiple civil rights violations before his death on Feb. 10, according to a tort claim notice filed by attorney Jeffrey Puff of Woodbury.

The notice, a requirement before filing a lawsuit against public entities, indicates the estate may seek damages of $2 million.

Puff could not be reached for immediate comment on the case.

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A Salem County representative also was unavailable.

Who's named by tort claim notice?

The state Attorney General's Office is notified of all deaths in police custody, a representative noted Tuesday, July 11.

"The Salem County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing that matter and the findings of that review will be reported to the Attorney General’s Office," said spokesman Dan Prochilo.

The agency has not announced an investigation in this case, and did not respond to requests for information.

The tort notice names the county’s Sheriff’s Office and Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the Pennsville and Carneys Point police department and Pennsville EMS.

Also named are 10 officers from the law enforcement agencies.

According to the claims, law enforcement officers converged on Zilinski’s home shortly after 6 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2023.

The notice claims the officers, “pursuant to an arrest,” removed Zilinski and two women from his home on North Hook Road and made them sit on a boat trailer for two-and-a-half hours.

An online listing says the North Hook Road location was the address of Walt's Crabs and Crab Pots. A phone number for the seafood market was out of service on Wednesday.

Puff’s account alleges zip-ties restraining Zilinski’s hands were “extremely tight interfering with the blood flow in Zilinski’s wrists.”

The women were given coats when they complained about the cold, but Zilinski “was forced” to wear only a short-sleeve shirt, it continues.

What happened in Pennsville holding room?

Zilinski and the women were taken to Pennsville’s police department, where he struggled to breathe.

According to the notice, “The women were yelling, 'Oh my god, somebody help him. You guys have got to help him!'”

It contends no police officer came to Zilinski’s aid in response to the women’s statements, and that one Pennsville police officer said Zilinski "probably swallowed drugs or was faking in order to go to the hospital instead of prison.”

Zilinski then vomited “and was desperately attempting to breathe until his skin turned grey,” the notice continues.

“It was too late when the officers called for an ambulance,” it claims, adding emergency medical personnel did not provide oxygen or Narcan to Zilinski.

The Pennsville man was taken to Salem County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The notice alleges Zilinski’s rights were violated through failure to act and to provide appropriate medical care. It also says he was subject to malpractice.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email him at jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey police facing lawsuit over death of Walter Zilinski Jr.