Around 8:06 PM on February 23, 2025, Officers Stephen Chowanec and Donovan Ortiz with the Hoboken Police Department responded to a report of a shoplifting at ShopRite on 900 Madison Street. The officers walked upstairs to the loss prevention office and made contact with the alleged shoplifter. They were informed that a woman was being detained by store security after attempting to steal about $144 worth of items, as indicated on the receipt. The woman was identified as Carla. She was initially under the impression that she would only receive a warning, and she seemed surprised that she was being arrested. Carla was placed in handcuffs, escorted down the stairs, and placed in the patrol car. The officers transported her to the Hoboken Police Department for further processing. Carla 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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