Around 9:07 PM on November 2, 2024, Officers Anthony Bartolone and Timothy Walden with the Middletown Township Police Department responded to a report of a female shoplifter at the Target on 2105 Route 35. They walked over to the loss prevention office and made contact with the alleged shoplifter, who was identified as Virginia. The loss prevention employees informed the officers that the woman had attempted to steal $323.94 worth of items by concealing them inside a garbage can. While the garbage can was paid for, the stolen items inside the garbage can were not paid for. The loss prevention employees showed Officer Bartolone surveillance footage where Virginia allegedly attempted to exit the store with unpaid items after concealing them inside an empty garbage can that she purchased. Virginia indicated that she was willing to pay for the items, but the officers told her it was too late. Based on their surveillance footage and the store’s decision to press charges, Officer Bartolone placed Virginia under arrest for shoplifting. After she was placed under arrest, she was escorted to the patrol car and Officer Walden placed her purchased items inside her vehicle. Officer Bartolone transported her to the Middletown Township Police Department for further processing. At police HQ, Virginia was finger printed and photographed. She was charged with shoplifting under 2C:20-11B(1). ---------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2024, c.16). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.

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