A New Jersey man has been missing for nine months, and the last time he was seen was shortly after police in Paterson detained him. Now, two police officers involved in the case have been suspended.
So what happened to Felix de Jesus? His family says they still need answers about their missing loved one.
De Jesus’ family concedes he had been drinking back on Feb. 2nd, the night he was arrested outside a bodega on the Paterson-Haledon border. He was handcuffed and put in a patrol car by rookie Paterson police officers Jacob Feliciano and Dodi Zorrilla — even though the woman who complained de Jesus had harassed her didn’t file charges.
The Paterson Police department released new body camera video Friday, which showed the woman speaking to the police officers during the incident. On the recording, one of the officers can be heard telling the woman "to write something up saying he touched you or something like that."
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But the woman refused, saying she wasn't interested in going through all the paperwork required. She said she just wanted to go back inside her home, and declined to file a police report.
De Jesus, who lived in Paterson but was staying with his mother in Haledon, was put in the back of the patrol car complaining of a broken hand. What happened after that his family says is a mystery.
"They said they dropped him off somewhere — they didn't give no proof that they dropped him off," said Eric de Jesus, his brother.
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The family said the only proof they have that de Jesus was taken by police is the body camera video, which was obtained only when a newspaper filed an open public records request. The family said they wouldn’t have had that if it wasn’t for the owner of the store that their missing relative was in before he was put in handcuffs.
"We were giving fliers in the stores trying to find my brother, and saw a guy from the store came to us and told us [de Jesus] was under arrest by the Paterson police. He saw them when they took him," the brother said.
It was four months before the family got the body cam video, and they say it still doesn’t tell the whole story.
"Even they turned off their cameras, so now we know nothing. They didn't make a report to the police department. It was ten days later that the family find out where Felix was, but we already had proof he was in the hands of the Paterson Police Department," said Eric de Jesus. "We called all the hospitals, morgues, everywhere — and they say they never had Felix…Paterson police should know what happened to him. They were the last people to have him."
In the months since he disappeared, de Jesus' family has maintained a silent but steady protest. On Friday, on the fringes of an unrelated press conference outside the Passaic County Courthouse, they were there with Paterson‘s mayor and other elected officials — including longtime local Congressman Bill Pascrell, the only one who stopped to speak with the family and pledged his help.
"I'm gonna follow up…I know who to talk to, always had a good relationship with the Paterson Police Department. We’re straight with each other and i think that’s a good starter," said Rep. Pascrell.
Paterson’s police director didn't return calls or emails for comment on the two officers who on Monday, after an internal investigation, were suspended without pay for 90 days. The review found they violated multiple departmental regulations including neglect of duty, breaking body camera rules, transporting citizens and preparing and filing reports.
Mayor Andre Sayegh issued a statement that said in part, “while the review established that the subject officers are not responsible for the apparent disappearance of Mr. de Jesus, the city discovered that the officers violated several procedures and pursued discipline against them.”
Meanwhile an agonizing wait goes on for the family.
"He lost Father’s Day...he got two kids, and we miss him," Eric de Jesus said through tears. "I miss my brother. He worked, he do everything. He’s like my father."
The family said that the disciplinary action against the two officers doesn't go far enough. They have hired a lawyer and a private investigator.
Lawyers for the two disciplined officers did not respond to requests for comment. All questions regarding the investigation are being referred to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, which also did not return requests for comment.
