NJ Cop Admits Abusing Power To Coerce Women While On Duty: AG

VERNON TOWNSHIP, NJ - A Vernon Township police officer accused of groping and sexually assaulting a woman while on duty has pleaded guilty to misconduct charges, state officials said.

Former Vernon Township officer Emanuel Rivera, 38, of Vernon, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit official misconduct before Judge Michael Gaus in state Superior Court in Sussex County on Friday, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart announced.

Rivera, a Vernon Township police officer since July 2013, was suspended without pay after being indicted by a state grand jury on August 10, 2021. He is now banned from all future public employment, Platkin and Taggart confirmed.

“The damage done to the trust of these women and the public by this disgraced officer’s actions is an outrage,” Platkin said in a statement. “Police officers are expected to be professional and to respect the laws they enforce and the dignity of the people they serve. That was not on display here, and I am hopeful that this defendant’s fate makes it clear that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”

Rivera also admitted that, while on duty as a police officer, he had approached women he interacted with and had sought personal relationships in violation of the police department’s rules. He added there was an imbalance of power between him and the women he interacted with, “leaving the women unable to consent because of the coercive, intimidating nature of such requests coming from a uniformed police officer,” state officials added.

Rivera is also charged in connection with two alleged incidents in 2014 and 2015 in which he improperly used his position to obtain the phone numbers of female motorists, according to the Attorney General's Office.

“This conduct was a clear and disturbing abuse of the power and trust that come with the badge,” said Thomas Eicher, Executive Director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. “I am pleased that an individual who misuses his position and authority in this manner will never again drive the streets in a police vehicle. And I am glad that, through this plea agreement, his victims will not have to endure a trial.”

An investigation by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office found that on May 11, 2019, Rivera met the woman and her ex-boyfriend when he responded to a call at a Vernon Township residence.

The woman had told the responding officers that she would be sleeping in a certain area of Vernon that night. She decided to sleep in her car after she was unable to contact a friend, and shortly after parking her car was allegedly approached by Rivera, who was still on duty.

“Rivera allegedly made inappropriate sexual remarks to the woman and reached down her shirt,” state officials said. “Rivera then directed the victim to follow his patrol vehicle in her car, and he led her to an abandoned church in Vernon, where he parked behind the church. Rivera approached the victim and directed her to exit her vehicle. He then engaged in sexual contact with the victim, who resisted and stopped the acts. Rivera subsequently returned to work.”

After the incident, Rivera returned to work and the victim immediately reported the alleged assault to a friend.

Prosecutors are recommending the court impose a sentence of five years in state prison on each count, to run concurrently. Sentencing is scheduled for April 27, 2023.

“This investigation and prosecution came about through strong partnerships among law enforcement agencies and their shared commitment to holding those who abuse their power accountable,” Taggart said. “The teamwork and collaboration of the law enforcement agencies involved in this case have secured justice for the victims and ensured this defendant will never again wear the trusted badge of a police officer.”