NJ Detective Accused Of Pepper-Spraying Man, Lying About It, Is Indicted

MARLBORO, NJ — A Trenton police officer from Marlboro Township has been indicted on charges of official misconduct and perjury, stemming from a 2022 incident in which prosecutors say he unlawfully pepper-sprayed a man and then lied in a criminal complaint he filed against him.

After hearing testimony and evidence on April 16, a grand jury voted to indict Aaron Bernstein, 51, of Marlboro, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey said.

Bernstein has been charged with two counts of second-degree official misconduct, one count of third-degree perjury, one count of third-degree aggravated assault and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

These charges stem from an incident on May 10, 2022, in which Bernstein is alleged to have used pepper spray against the victim, a 27-year-old Trenton man, in violation of the NJ Attorney General’s Use of Force Policy.

It’s further alleged in the indictment that Bernstein then certified to statements he knew to be false when he filed charges of obstructing the administration of law and resisting arrest against the victim in connection with the same incident, Marbrey said.

The matter was referred to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office in December 2024 by the Trenton Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit.

At the time of the incident, Bernstein was a 19-year member of the Trenton Police Department, holding the rank of detective.

According to a report from NJ.com, Bernstein was suspended without pay in December 2024, when the city police’s internal affairs unit learned of the incident, and after a federal report on the city’s policing was made public 12 days earlier.

His lawyer, Robin Lord, told NJ.com that they find it “extremely ironic that out of the dozens of allegations of inappropriate conduct in the report, that the only one criminally charged is an officer who has sued the police department for antisemitic behavior.”

Bernstein filed a civil suit in July 2024 against the police department, which claims that he was subjected to antisemitic slurs and comments from colleagues, according to a report from NJ.com.