Around 5:36 PM on July 17, 2026, Officers Alyssa Vetrano, Chad Bacek, and John Mania with the Middletown Township Police Department were dispatched to a report of a female shoplifter at the Target on 2105 Route 35. They walked over to the Asset Protection office and made contact with the alleged shoplifter, who was identified as Samantha Kleissler. The Asset Protection employees informed them that the woman had attempted to exit the store after under-ringing some items in the self-checkout lane. Based on their surveillance footage and the store’s decision to press charges, Samantha was placed under arrest for shoplifting. She was handcuffed by Officer Vetrano and placed inside the patrol car. Officers Vetrano and Bacek transported her to the Middletown Township Police Department for further processing. She was charged with shoplifting under 2C:20-11B(5) for stealing a total of $194.60 worth of merchandise by under-ringing items at the self-checkout lane on multiple prior occasions and released pending her court appearance. Court records indicate that on September 28, 2026, her shoplifting charge was downgraded to Unnecessary Noises (Ordinance 341-4) as part of a plea agreement. She also had to pay a total of $533 in fines as part of her guilty plea. ---------------------------------------------- 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. 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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