Paterson police gunned down Najee Seabrooks, 31, on March 3, 2023, after he called them for help during a mental crisis. (Photo courtesy of Najee Seabrooks family)
A state grand jury has declined to file criminal charges against the two Paterson police officers who gunned down Najee Seabrooks, a community activist and violence interventionist, in March 2023 after he called 911 for help during a mental health crisis.
Seabrooks’ death sparked widespread protests that led the state Attorney General’s Office, in a rare move, to take over the Paterson police department and expand a program to help police better respond to people in mental distress.
The attorney general’s office released a detailed statement about the grand jury’s decision, Seabrooks’ life in Paterson, and the impact his death had on police reforms in the state on Tuesday — one week after Seabrooks’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, accusing officers of excessive force and negligence. The office investigates officer-involved shootings but does not typically release such detailed comments on victims of fatal police encounters.
“A victim of a non-fatal drive-by shooting in 2021, Mr. Seabrooks would later dedicate himself to improving public safety in his hometown, becoming a violence interventionist with the Paterson Healing Collective, a hospital-based violence intervention organization. The father of a young daughter, Mr. Seabrooks was known for his kind nature, warm smile, and his dedication to making the City of Paterson safer,” the statement reads.
The grand jury’s decision left some advocates feeling frustrated.
“Najee Seabrooks should be alive today. We’re deeply disappointed that no police officer will be held accountable for his killing in a court of law,” said Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.
Sinha said the police response to Seabrooks’ call for help serves as an urgent reminder that state and local policymakers must invest in non-law enforcement responses to mental health calls.
“New Jersey must make every effort to prevent the unnecessary escalation that happens far too often when police engage with these calls for help,” Sinha said in a statement. “But achieving this profound change requires that our state transform policing wholesale. And, above all, for New Jersey to achieve a reality that prioritizes safety and de-escalation over lethal force, we all have a responsibility to examine whether armed police officers must be the only response to public distress, especially when proven alternative solutions exist.”
A violent response
The attorney general’s statement lays out a timeline of what the office says happened the night of Seabrooks’ death, which was investigated by the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability and presented to a grand jury, as required by law. (The grand jury concluded deliberations Sunday.)
The incident began in the morning hours of March 3, 2023, when Seabrooks called 911 to say he was in distress, according to the statement, and family members told responding officers that he was acting erratically and hallucinating. At the family’s request, the officers called an ambulance, the statement said.
Officers attempted to speak to Seabrooks through the door to a bathroom, where he had retreated. He told them that “people are trying to kill me, I need an escort.” Family members speculated whether he smoked something and called his actions out of character.
He allegedly had three knives, according to the statement. Seabrooks also told police he had knives and a gun.
More police arrived, along with negotiators and an Emergency Response Team that urged him to unlock the door. Those negotiations went on for two hours, with Seabrooks asking for his mentor and mom to come to the apartment and police barring them citing safety concerns, according to the statement. Negotiators wanted him to put his weapons down and leave the bathroom first, the statement continued.
At around 10:20 a.m., Seabrooks broke a water pipe in the bathroom, which flooded. Officers tried to enter then, but Seabrooks allegedly put items behind the door. The officers broke the door but did not enter because they said they saw Seabrooks with knives in his hands, according to the statement.
About an hour later, Seabrooks started a fire in the bathroom and threw items at police, injuring two officers, the statement said. And for the next hour, three ERT police team members fired “less-than-lethal” sponge-tipped projectiles at Seabrooks, who was hit but did not drop the weapons, according to the statement.
He began harming himself with the knives and making comments about dying in the bathroom, refusing help from officers and telling them he’d “take one of the officers with him,” the office said.
At 12:35 p.m., Seabrooks exited the bathroom and “approached” the officers with at least one knife in his hands, the office said. Two ERT officers, Anzore Tsay and Jose Hernandez, fired their guns, and Seabrooks immediately fell into a bedroom, where the officers handcuffed him.
He was taken to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was pronounced dead at 12:51 p.m.
Lasting changes
Seabrooks’ killing prompted an outcry for police reform, particularly in how to handle mental health emergencies. Several vigils were held, and activists demanded the release of body camera footage and accountability for the officers.
Just two weeks later, the state assumed control of the embattled Paterson Police Department and replaced the police chief. The department also had a history of other scandals, including an FBI investigation into suspected corruption and community protests over officers’ excessive force.
The takeover remains in place today, even though Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh sued the state, claiming the office lacked the authority to supersede the city police department. The lawsuit is pending before the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Gov. Phil Murphy in January 2024 signed a bill into law known as the “Seabrooks-Washington Community-Led Crisis Response Act” — named after Seabrooks and Andrew Washington, who Jersey City police gunned down in August 2023.
The law established the Community Crisis Response Pilot Program and earmarked $12 million to support grant programs in several counties. Its goal is to ensure public health-centered resources and programs are available to law enforcement.
The Attorney General’s Office also reworked some guidelines on how police handle barricaded suspects.
That includes directing officers to wait for appropriate resources to respond and not attempt to force a resolution when no threat is present, mandating an immediate response by an on-duty supervisor to barricaded situations, and requiring tactical teams to connect with mental health professionals who can assist on scene — much like Seabrooks had done in his work with the Paterson Healing Collective.
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