Independent Prosecutor path ends in no-bill; AG says weapon recovered was a compressed-air pistol

A New Jersey state grand jury has voted not to file criminal charges against Jersey City Police Sgt. Ricardo Reyes in the fatal Sept. 5, 2025, shooting of Steven B. Sanchez, 26, of Jersey City, on John F. Kennedy Boulevard near Clinton Avenue — ending the criminal track of the Attorney General’s Independent Prosecutor process for this case.

The Office of the Attorney General posted the no-bill statement on Sept. 29, 2026. According to that release, the grand jury finished deliberations on Sept. 28, 2026, after hearing evidence that included body-worn camera video, surveillance video, police radio transmissions, medical records, and witness interviews. The presentation followed the Independent Prosecutor Directive of 2019 and the state statute that requires the AG’s office to investigate deaths that occur during police encounters and to bring those investigations to a grand jury.

What the April 1 video package showed — per the AG

On April 1, 2026, the AG’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability released redacted body-worn camera and surveillance recordings from the encounter. Footage the AG released is posted at the Box link below.

Per the AG’s April 1 narrative:

• About 1:22 p.m. on Sept. 5, 2025, two uniformed Jersey City officers traveling southbound on JFK Blvd. and Sgt. Reyes traveling northbound in a separate marked car both turned around after hearing impacts or loud bangs near their vehicles.
• About 1:23 p.m., the two southbound officers exited near Clinton Avenue, saw Sanchez with what appeared to be a handgun, and issued commands to drop it. Sanchez pointed the weapon toward them.
• Reyes exited his vehicle and exchanged fire with Sanchez, who was struck. After being struck, Sanchez fired again toward officers and ran toward Reyes. A struggle followed; Sanchez was taken into custody.
• Officers rendered aid until EMS arrived. Sanchez was pronounced deceased at Jersey City Medical Center at about 8:45 p.m.
• Reyes sustained a non-life-threatening injury. No other officers or civilians were injured, the AG said.
• Investigators recovered a compressed air pistol and numerous projectiles believed fired from that weapon.

The Sept. 29 no-bill release retells the same sequence and states that Sanchez turned the weapon toward Reyes and fired before Reyes returned fire. Hudson TV sticks to that AG wording.

What a “no bill” does — and does not — close

Under the Independent Prosecutor Directive framework, a grand-jury “no bill” means no criminal indictment will be returned against the officer on the evidence presented. The AG’s no-bill release also states that the Division of Criminal Justice will next decide whether to refer any officer for administrative / internal-affairs review under the AG’s Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures, and that DCJ will monitor any such review.

That is not the same as a civil verdict, a police-board finding, or a declaration that every fact dispute is settled. Hudson TV has not independently confirmed whether any civil claim has been filed on behalf of Sanchez’s estate or family.

Doubt check — what doesn’t fit / who benefits

• Weapon vs. lethal response: The AG’s own releases identify the recovered weapon as a compressed air pistol that fired projectiles capable of striking a vehicle and injuring Reyes. That fact sits in the official record the grand jury heard.
• Speed of the criminal close vs. open questions: Criminal presentation is done. Administrative referral language in the AG release is forward-looking and nonspecific.
• Date hygiene: Treat Sept. 5, 2025, as the incident date from the consistent OAG record. The no-bill opener’s anomalous “August 12, 2024” date is disregarded.

Hudson TV’s package is the AG video first, then the no-bill.

Hudson TV asks: After the grand jury’s no-bill, should Jersey City’s next public step be a full on-camera walkthrough of the April AG bodycam for residents — or an administrative / internal-affairs review outcome released in writing first?

Share your take in the comments — and tell us which option you’d pick and why.

React: reply VIDEO or IA (or OTHER + your idea).