A state grand jury has voted not to file criminal charges at the conclusion of its deliberations regarding the death of Omar Williams, 43, of Hamilton in Mercer County, who died during a July 23, 2024 encounter in East Orange, New Jersey, with members of the Bloomfield Police Department (BPD).
Mr. Williams’ death was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Directive. The investigation included witness interviews, photographs, radio transmissions, review of video footage from police dashboard cameras, body-worn cameras, and third-party cameras, as well as autopsy results from a medical examiner. This evidence, including video footage of the incident, was presented to a state grand jury. After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury finished deliberating on February 9, 2026, and voted “no bill,” concluding no criminal charges should be filed against the relevant officer.
According to the investigation, at approximately 10:57 a.m. on July 23, 2024, a female victim was robbed of her purse while exiting an Acme grocery store in Montclair. At approximately 11:12 a.m., a separate female victim was pushed to the ground and robbed of her purse while exiting a CVS in Bloomfield. In both incidents, the suspects fled in a Nissan Sentra. Witnesses reported the Nissan’s license plate number. Law enforcement authorities later determined the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Montclair the day prior to the robberies.
Later that same day, authorities learned from automated license plate recognition (ALPR) notifications that the Nissan was in Newark. At approximately 12:57 p.m., Bloomfield Deputy Chief Anthony Sisco, in an unmarked police vehicle, located the Nissan in that city. He advised other units of his location and Lieutenant Michael Moleski, along with Detective James Romano, arrived in their unmarked police vehicle and joined Deputy Chief Sisco. The Nissan then sped away. Lieutenant Moleski and Detective Romano pursued the Nissan from Newark into East Orange, where they were joined by Sergeant Raymond Diaz in a marked police vehicle. Sergeant Diaz, utilizing the vehicle’s lights and sirens, began following the involved vehicles. The pursuit spanned approximately 2.9 miles and lasted about four minutes.
At approximately 1:08 p.m., the Nissan drove into the wrong lane of travel on Park Avenue in East Orange. Simultaneously, a Toyota Camry driven by an uninvolved citizen pulled into the center lane to make a left turn. As the Toyota turned, the Nissan sideswiped the Toyota. The impact caused the Nissan to strike the front of a parked ambulance. Law enforcement officers removed Mr. Williams, who was unconscious at the time, from the Nissan. EMS transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 1:38 p.m. All other involved civilians suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Footage from law enforcement and third-party cameras related to the encounter were previously released and are posted online
here.
N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2), requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the involved officers. The grand jury is instructed on the elements of the potential criminal offenses, including criminal homicide offenses, that could be brought and, as required by statutes, the grand jury is instructed on self-defense and other forms of legal justification.
A conflicts check was conducted pursuant to the Independent Prosecutor Directive and no actual or potential conflicts of interest were found involving any individual assigned to OPIA’s investigation. Prior to presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed by OPIA Executive Director Eric Gibson.
Now that the investigation has concluded, pursuant to the Independent Prosecutor Directive and SOPs, OPIA will determine whether any officer should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for administrative review in accordance with the AG’s Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures. OPIA will monitor any resulting review and take such actions as are necessary to ensure that the review is completed in a timely fashion, and that appropriate actions are taken based on the results of the review.
Further information about how fatal police encounters are investigated in New Jersey under the Independent Prosecutor Directive can be found
here.
