While the Jersey City Police Department had planned on Tuesday to release the findings from the investigation into the Christmas night deaths of officers Shawn Carson, 40, and Robert Nguyen, 30, they instead issued a one-page press release.
Carson and Nguyen both died on Christmas when their Emergency Services Unit vehicle plunged off the Lincoln Highway Bridge into the Hackensack River.
The night of the accident, the two officers were part of a team of Jersey City police who were stopping traffic on the that connects Jersey City and Kearny because the bridge’s warning gate, steel barrier and warning lights on the Kearny side of the bridge were inoperable, and the bridge was raised to let through a tug boat on the Hackensack River.
The two officers were finished laying flares on the Kearny side of the bridge and got into their vehicle to travel back to Jersey City when the accident occurred. According to authorities, the two officers were unaware that the bridge was still up, and their Emergency Services Unit vehicle plunged into the Hackensack River.
It has been reported that because of poor visibility on the bridge due to rain and fog, the police officers could not see flash lights and police officers signaling to the officers that the bridge was up.
One source said that other officers still on the bridge were distracted by an individual claiming to be robbed near the bridge. Also, there was the problem with radio communication.
The press release that was issued last week states, “…information pertaining to this tragedy is limited and the time frame when additional information will be available, is after the investigation.”
However, the press release also said that Lester Navarro of New Brunswick was arrested on Dec. 29 on one count of Falsifying Reports to Law Enforcement. Navarro was cited as a person who distracted other officers on the bridge Christmas night with a false claim of being robbed near the bridge