Grand Jury Declines To Criminally Charge Weehawken Cop Involved in 2023 Shooting

A 2023 incident involving a Weehawken Police Officer’s non-fatal shooting has resulted in a Hudson County grand jury deciding not to file criminal charges against the officer.  The grand jury decided on October 15, 2024, at the conclusion of its deliberations regarding the non-fatal, police-involved shooting of Ricky Rivera of Paterson on August 1, 2023 in Weehawken following an encounter with members of the Weehawken Police Department, against criminal action.

A press release from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office states, “Sergeant Vincent Avoletta’s use of deadly force was investigated by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office (HCPO) and supervised by the NJ Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. The investigation was presented to Hudson County residents serving on a county grand jury….”The investigation included interviews of witnesses, collection and review of video surveillance and body worn camera footage, physical evidence collected by the Hudson County Prosecutors Office’s Crime Scene Unit, photographs, and ballistics evidence that had been examined by personnel from the New Jersey State Police Firearms Unit.”

The press release goes on to say that, “..this evidence, along with recorded interviews given by the two Weehawken police officers on scene at the time of the shooting— including the officer who fired his weapon—was presented to the grand jury. After hearing testimony and reviewing the evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations with a vote to “no bill” criminal charges, meaning the grand jurors concluded no criminal charges should be filed against Sgt. Avoletta.”

According to the investigation, on August 1, 2023 in Weehawken, two Weehawken police officers approached a suspected, stolen Honda Civic that backed into a residential driveway on Regency Boulevard.  When the officers exited their unmarked police vehicle, the driver of the Honda Civic, who was later identified as Ricky Rivera, accelerated forward making contact with Sgt. Avoletta’s partner.   That’s when Sgt. Avoletta discharged his weapon, striking Rivera as he continued to drive onto Port Imperial Road.

Within minutes of fleeing the Regency Boulevard area, Rivera crashed the Honda Civic into a Port Authority Police Department vehicle and became disabled on the side of the road.  Arriving officers provided medical aid to Rivera, who sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his upper left arm.

The press release concludes by saying, “A conflicts check was conducted…and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any individual assigned to the investigation. Prior to presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed by Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Kormann, Director of Investigations of Fatal Police Encounters, in accordance with policies and procedures established for these presentations. The matter was presented to the grand jury by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutors Karyn Darish and Daniel Gilbert.”