Grand jury makes decision on fatal police shooting at Vineland mobile-home park

Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·2 min read

TRENTON — A Vineland police officer who killed a man in a mobile home park will not face criminal charges, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Sgt. Louis Platania fatally shot Joshua Gonzalez, 20, after the Millville man had gone on a predawn rampage with a stolen backhoe on Dec. 18, 2021.

Gonzalez drove the construction machine into one residence at the Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park and pushed a police vehicle into another residence shortly before being shot by Platania about 5:50 a.m., a police account said.

911 calls lead to fatal encounter Grand jury clears Millville police officer in deadly shooting

A state grand jury voted to not file criminal charges against Platania, the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.

The jury's decision followed a legally mandated investigation by the state’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

Vineland shooting ended backhoe rampage

Police had gone to the area near West Park Drive around 5 a.m. after 911 callers reported a backhoe operator was striking vehicles and operating the machine in an erratic manner, the statement said.

Officers tried to stop the backhoe for about 30 minutes, “during which time Mr. Gonzalez caused extensive damage to several residences and vehicles, including three marked police SUVs, an ambulance, and an occupied civilian vehicle,” the statement said.

A New Jersey grand jury has cleared a Vineland police officer who fatally shot a man at Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park in December 2021.
A New Jersey grand jury has cleared a Vineland police officer who fatally shot a man at Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park in December 2021.

“Mr. Gonzalez flipped over police vehicles with the backhoe and attempted to strike police vehicles that were pursuing him,” it added.

Platania shot Gonzalez after approaching the backhoe on foot in the mobile home park.

Officers and emergency responders provided medical aid to Gonzalez, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A state law requires investigations into any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity.

As part of the review, investigators questioned police officers and other witnesses, and collected video evidence from surveillance cameras and police officers' body-worn cameras.

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

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Vineland officer won't face charges in mobile home park shooting