Family Claims Camden (NJ) Police Beat Handcuffed Latino Man as he Choked to Death

From [HERE] and [HERE] Family members of a Pemberton Township man who died after swallowing a plastic bag of drugs during a Camden arrest have filed a lawsuit against the city's police department.

The suit, filed Friday, alleges Jorge Rivera died after the arresting officers took no action to dislodge the bag, and instead continued to beat the 32-year-old even after he was handcuffed. Rivera died from asphyxiation shortly after the April 22, 2009, incident in North Camden.

While the lawsuit acknowledges Rivera attempted to swallow a "small plastic bag" as officers approached him, it blames the officers for Rivera's death.

"The officers' intentional attack on Rivera and use of excessive force caused the plastic bag to become lodged in Rivera's throat, causing him to asphyxiate and die," the lawsuit states.

Witnesses at the scene said that police kicked and punched the man after he was handcuffed. Police said Rivera resisted arrest.

Because witnesses and police gave very different accounts of what happened that day, Rivera’s death has been a controversy in the North Camden community. 

In July 2009, officials with the state Attorney General's Office announced a grand jury had voted to take no action against the officers in connection with the death. The grand jury vote ended any investigation into the incident by the attorney general's office.