Public Records Request – Bodycam Footage and Related Reports
Dear Lumberton Township,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA (NJSA 47:1A-1 et seq.) 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:
I am requesting all body-worn camera footage, dash/in-car camera footage, and incident reports related to the arrest of Mayor Gina LaPlaca for DUI, which occurred on March 17, 2025 in Lumberton Township, New Jersey. This request includes any supplemental reports, dispatch notes, or other documentation related to the incident. The request is for journalistic and public-interest purposes only, to inform the public about law enforcement procedures and responses.
I respectfully request that these records be provided free of charge, as they are being requested for journalistic and public-interest purposes, and not for any commercial use.
Preferred Delivery Method: Please provide the records electronically as email attachments.
Please confirm receipt of this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to the appropriate person and provide their email address for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Dory Nguyen
[email address]
Please be advised that I will be out of office on Thursday, October 30th
and will return on Friday, October 31st, at 8:00 am.
Thank you!
Bobbie Quinn, RMC/CMR
Deputy Township Administrator/Township Clerk/Deputy RVS
The Township of Lumberton received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA)
request on October 31, 2025. The Official Records Custodian, Bobbie Quinn,
received your OPRA Request on October 31, 2025. As such, the seven (7)
business day deadline to respond to your request is November 11, 2025.
This response is being provided to you on the 4th business day after the
custodian’s receipt of said request.
The following is the Body Worn Camera footage which is responsive to your
OPRA request. Please be aware, certain personal identifying information,
such as information related to a juvenile, medical information, and
witness information, has been redacted. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1; Burnett v.
Cnty. of Bergen, 198 N.J. 408, 423 (2009).
Evidence.com - Case Download Link
Christopher Cheesman from Lumberton Township Police Dept.
([1]https://lumbertonpdnj.evidence.com) has sent you a link to download the case
OPRA 2025-429 on Evidence.com. You will download 1 zip or iso file(s) containing
the pieces of evidence in this case. This download may take a while depending on
your internet connection.
OPRA 2025-429
Please note that your access to this link will expire on February 4, 2026
17:18:30 (-05:00).
Afterwards, you will need to contact the sender to request access.
Download link:
[2][Click here to download]
Your request for MVR or “dash cam” videos is denied because such are
exempt from disclosure as a criminal investigatory record. N.J.S.A.
47:1A-1.1; Paff v. Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, 235 N.J. 1 (2018); N.
Jersey Media Grp., Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017).
At this time, requests for police records are denied because such are
exempt from disclosure under the criminal investigatory records exemption.
N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1; N. Jersey Media Grp., Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229
N.J. 541 (2017); Colvell v. Hightstown Police Department (Mercer), 2022 WL
17543468 (N.J. Sup. Ct. App. Div. Dec. 9, 2022); Serrano v. South
Brunswick Tp., 358 N.J. Super. 352 (App. Div. 2003).
This response is being transmitted to you via email. Pursuant to N.J.S.A.
47:1A-5.b., the total cost associated with this request is zero.
Bobbie Quinn, RMC/CMR
Deputy Township Administrator/Township Clerk/Deputy RVS
Lumberton Township Municipal Building
35 Municipal Drive, Lumberton, NJ 08048
609-267-3217, ext. 102
[3]https://www.lumbertontwp.com
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Dear Bobbie Quinn,
The download link is not there. Can you please update the section 2, to include the download link. Thank you!
Yours sincerely,
Dory Nguyen
It is listed below….see highlighted yellow area….
From: Bobbie Quinn
Sent: Thursday, November 6, 2025 5:37 PM
To: Dory Nguyen <[OPRA #82949 email]>
Subject: Lumberton Township OPRA Request 2025-429
The Township of Lumberton received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA)
request on October 31, 2025. The Official Records Custodian, Bobbie Quinn,
received your OPRA Request on October 31, 2025. As such, the seven (7)
business day deadline to respond to your request is November 11, 2025.
This response is being provided to you on the 4th business day after the
custodian’s receipt of said request.
The following is the Body Worn Camera footage which is responsive to your
OPRA request. Please be aware, certain personal identifying information,
such as information related to a juvenile, medical information, and
witness information, has been redacted. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1; Burnett v.
Cnty. of Bergen, 198 N.J. 408, 423 (2009).
Evidence.com - Case Download Link
Christopher Cheesman from Lumberton Township Police Dept.
([1]https://lumbertonpdnj.evidence.com) has sent you a link to download the case
OPRA 2025-429 on Evidence.com. You will download 1 zip or iso file(s) containing
the pieces of evidence in this case. This download may take a while depending on
your internet connection.
OPRA 2025-429
Please note that your access to this link will expire on February 4, 2026
17:18:30 (-05:00).
Afterwards, you will need to contact the sender to request access.
Download link:
[2][Click here to download]
Your request for MVR or “dash cam” videos is denied because such are
exempt from disclosure as a criminal investigatory record. N.J.S.A.
47:1A-1.1; Paff v. Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, 235 N.J. 1 (2018); N.
Jersey Media Grp., Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017).
At this time, requests for police records are denied because such are
exempt from disclosure under the criminal investigatory records exemption.
N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1; N. Jersey Media Grp., Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229
N.J. 541 (2017); Colvell v. Hightstown Police Department (Mercer), 2022 WL
17543468 (N.J. Sup. Ct. App. Div. Dec. 9, 2022); Serrano v. South
Brunswick Tp., 358 N.J. Super. 352 (App. Div. 2003).
This response is being transmitted to you via email. Pursuant to N.J.S.A.
47:1A-5.b., the total cost associated with this request is zero.
Bobbie Quinn, RMC/CMR
Deputy Township Administrator/Township Clerk/Deputy RVS
Lumberton Township Municipal Building
35 Municipal Drive, Lumberton, NJ 08048
609-267-3217, ext. 102
[3]https://www.lumbertontwp.com
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Dear Bobbie Quinn,
For the evidence.com link, i cannot access it, as I am not apart of the Lumberton township pd agency. It requires me to have an invite code. I have an evidence.com account, but my credentials do not work for your link. Thank you!
Yours sincerely,
Dory Nguyen
You don't need to be a part of the PD for access - I have copied Lt. Cheesman on same for his input and request that he scroll through the below and provide any direction to you as again, the link should just allow you to view the BWC....
Sadly, the format below is changed from what I sent you which I cannot help....
See attached of what I sent you compared to what you see...
Bobbie
Dear Bobbie Quinn,
In the photo you have provided, the link to download the files is highlighted, but for me in section 2, it is not highlight with the link. Is there anyway for your to provide the highlighted link. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Dory Nguyen
Unfortunately, it appears I cannot.
My e-mail format is completely different from yours and I even cut and pasted your original e-mail and utilized my e-mail format to respond to you. On my end, it appears at it was sent; however, when you receive it, it changes it completed. But as you can see, I provided the link to you via the snapshot.
I don't know what else I can do at this point as this is first time this has ever happened....
Bobbie