Open Records Request

Thomas Hunter

[email address]

RE: Reference # OPRA-2025-04868

Date Entered: 10/2/2025 12:38:00 PM

Dear Thomas Hunter,

The City of Newark received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on 10/02/2025. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is 10/14/2025.

Your request requires an extension of time until 11/07/2025

Your OPRA request sought access to the following:

Seeking the audio 9-1-1 call from a motor vehicle accident on January 31, 2024 at approximately 10:30 am. The accident occurred outside University Hospital as Shanna Blanton was making a left hand turn out of the Hospital onto Bergen Street.

Your request requires additional time beyond the seven (7) business days to fulfill because The volume of requests directed toward police necessitate an extension.. OPRA allows custodians to seek extensions of time pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.i. Specifically, OPRA states that, “the requestor shall be advised by the custodian when the record can be made available.” Government agencies properly extend OPRA's initial seven-business day deadline when they send the extension within the first seven-business-day deadline and provide dates certain by which they will fill the requests. Starkey v. Dep't of Transportation, GRC 2007-315, 2007-316, 2007-317 (2009). Rivera v. Plainfield, GRC 2009-317 (2011). Criscione v. Gutenberg, GRC 2010-68 (2010). If the agency does not provide a response by the deadline identified by the extension, access shall be deemed denied.

If your request for access to a government record has been denied or unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have the right to challenge the decision by the City of Newark to deny access. At your option, you may either institute a proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with the Government Records Council (GRC) by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [email address], or at their web site at www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can also answer other questions about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.

Please do not reply directly to this email; this address is not monitored. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at (973)-424-4116 or email us at [email address]

Sincerely,

City of Newark