Opra request for incident ocurring on 09/19/2025
Dear Mount Olive Township,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
A man has been arrested after leading Mt. Olive police on a high-speed car chase, prompting his passenger to jump out of the car mid-pursuit, authorities said.
On Friday(09/19/2025), just before midnight, Several officers searched the Budd Lake neighborhood and eventually found the Toyota in the Minute Mart parking lot on Netcong Road.
The driver, 62-year-old Stephen A. Parker, of Budd Lake, was arrested without incident.
I am kindly requesting the following:
1.) All body cam and dash cam footage from all officers involved.
2.) Incident Report
Parker was charged with eluding police with a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, failure to report an accident, reckless driving, careless driving, speeding, and unregistered motor vehicle. He was processed and released pending a court date.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Paper Man
Subject: Follow-Up on OPRA Request Submitted September 19, 2025
Dear Mount Olive Township,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to follow up on the OPRA request I submitted to your department on September 19, 2025. As the statutory response period has passed, I would appreciate an update on the status of this request.
Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
Paper Man
Good morning,
After looking into your request with my IT Department, I have no record of receiving your original request. I will get this processed asap.
Sincerely,
Susan Gouveia
Susan Gouveia, Township Clerk
Township of Mount Olive
204 Flanders-Drakestown Road
PO Box 450
Budd Lake, NJ 07828
(973) 691-0900, ext. 7291
www.mountolivetwpnj.org
Dear Gouveia, Susan,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. No worries at all — I completely understand that things happen. I look forward to hearing back from you. Have a lovely day!
Yours sincerely,
Ghettomerica
Good afternoon,
Please see the attached information provided by the Police Department as requested.
This case is still active with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, please see the below response received.
Per the Morris County Prosecutor's Office in reference to the Body Worn Camera footage:
" Access to body worn camera footage is denied as the investigation into this matter is open and ongoing. The New Jersey Supreme Court has concluded that early disclosure of records containing details of the incident "will often be "inimical to the public interest"", and thus, would be an impediment to the state's constitutional obligation to investigate and prosecute responsible parties for their alleged criminal conduct. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-3. North Jersey Media Group, Inc. v. Twp. Of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541, 574 (citing N.J.S.A. 47:1A-3). Release of the BWC at this time would impact the State's ability to prosecute the responsible parties."
Additional OPRA exemptions include:
1. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 (criminal investigatory records). See N. Jersey Media Grp., Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541, 569 (2017) (concluding that "dash-cam recordings" and "detailed investigative reports and witness statements" that "pertain[] to an investigation into actual or potential violations of criminal law . . . fall within the criminal investigatory records exception."); Janeczko v. NJ Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice, GRC Complaint Nos. 2002-79 and 2002-80 (June 2004) ("[C]riminal investigatory records include records involving all manner of crimes, resolved or unresolved, and include information that is part and parcel of an investigation, confirmed and unconfirmed."), aff'd Janeczko v. Division of Criminal Justice, Docket No. A-309-03T1 (App. Div. May 26, 2004). Criminal investigatory records remain exempt even after an investigation is closed and regardless of whether criminal charges resulted. Grossman v. Office of the Cnty., 2013 WL 4045813, at *8 (N.J.Super.L. Jul. 26, 2013).
2. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5 (Personal identifiers)
3. Mug shots are redacted pursuant to Executive Order 69 (Whitman 1997).
Thank you,
Erin Meixsell
Assistant to the Township Clerk
Mount Olive Township
204 Flanders-Drakestown Road
Budd Lake, NJ 07828
973-691-0900 ext. 7290
Dear Erin Meixsell,
Thank you very much for your reply. It totally makes sense. Can I request these records again once case is closed?
Yours sincerely,
Ghettomerica