State AG investigating death of woman being held by the Paterson police
The state Attorney General's Office announced an investigation Tuesday into the death of a woman who was found unresponsive while in custody of the Paterson Police Department.
Officials did not identify the woman other than to say she was a 57-year-old who had been arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of drug possession.
During a prisoner check, officers noticed she was unresponsive while lying on a metal bench inside her holding cell at police headquarters at 6 p.m. on Friday, almost a full day after her arrest, according to the announcement.
She was pronounced dead by medical personnel at 6:16 p.m. in police headquarters, the AG's Office stated.
More: Clifton man shot and killed near Route 80 in Paterson; city's fifth homicide this year
Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
State law requires the Attorney General's Office to investigate any deaths resulting from encounters with police or while in police custody.
Nicholas Katzban is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Email: katzban@northjersey.com
Twitter: @nicholaskatzban
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Police custody death investigated by state AG
