A retired Union City police officer who scored highest on the state promotional exam for sergeant is now watching, from a witness stand in Jersey City, as fellow officers describe suspensions for a paintball-gun incident and a fraudulent injury claim — and how those officers still moved up the ranks while he did not. Juan Estrella spent 15 years with the Union City Police Department and ranked first on the New Jersey Civil Service Commission’s promotional list before the department passed him over, according to Hudson Reporter, a decision he alleges was driven by his Dominican heritage rather than his record. According to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission's 2026 Police Lieutenant Orientation Guide, a candidate's final score and rank on a police promotional list consists of two weighted parts: the test score and the seniority score.
The civil trial, unfolding at the Brennan Courthouse before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Kalimah Ahmad, has centered this week on testimony from current and former Union City officers about their own disciplinary histories and promotions, according to Hudson County View. Among them was Juan Loaces, who testified about a sustained charge of conduct unbecoming of an officer tied to an incident in which he was present when another officer fired a paintball gun at someone from a moving vehicle and then drove away. Loaces received a 180-day suspension over the episode, according to plaintiff attorney Ernest Ianetti, though Loaces claimed on the stand that he had nothing to do with the paintball-gun incident itself and denied culpability for the sustained charges against him.
Loaces also testified that he signed a settlement agreement over the discipline after being told to sign it or be fired, while denying he knew a settlement had even been reached. Another officer, Glenn Gaston, testified about a separate sustained charge of untruthfulness stemming from an off-duty injury he had alleged occurred while on duty. Gaston confirmed the untruthfulness finding under sworn testimony but denied that he considered the matter serious.
Comparing Disciplinary Records
Ianetti has argued that some non-Dominican officers with disciplinary records worse than Estrella’s were nonetheless promoted over him. In opening statements, Ianetti cited one non-Dominican officer promoted despite a 200-day suspension for sustained sexual harassment of a police operator — misconduct that also led Union City to pay a $100,000 pre-litigation settlement to the victim. He also pointed to a second non-Dominican officer who received a 100-day suspension for fraudulently claiming an off-duty injury as an on-duty incident to collect municipal benefits, yet was still promoted over Estrella, per the dossier’s account of trial testimony.
Former UCPD Captain Richard Perez testified that three consecutive police chiefs recommended him for promotion despite his own disciplinary history, with Mayor Brian Stack signing off on each advancement in his role as Public Safety Commissioner. Defense attorneys objected to that line of questioning, but the judge overruled the objection, allowing the testimony to stand. Separately, former UCPD Sgt. Sergio DeRojas, now public safety coordinator for Union City Public Schools, testified he was suspended at least twice during his career before being promoted while Stack served as Public Safety Commissioner — though DeRojas maintained under questioning that he never personally discussed his promotion with Stack. No officer has stated that they discussed their promotion directly with Stack, the article notes.
Supervisor Backed Estrella’s Job Performance
Active Lt. Chris Rengel testified that a performance evaluation he authored for Estrella contained no “unacceptable” ratings and noted Estrella’s ability to mentor newer officers while he worked to move past pending internal affairs inquiries. Willy Sierra, testifying virtually via Zoom, addressed Union City Police Department internal affairs matters, and plaintiff’s cross-examination sought to raise doubts about the accuracy of the department’s internal affairs documents from before 2021. According to the New Jersey State Police's Seventh Periodic Report on Law Enforcement Professional Standards, an effective internal-affairs and discipline process is critical to eradicating and preventing misconduct. According to the New Jersey State Police Review Team's Final Report of the State Police Review Team, the review examined recruitment, selection, promotion, internal affairs, discipline and training.
Nichelle Luster, a named co-defendant in the case, began testifying about her dealings with Estrella. Luster became Hudson County’s first female police chief when promoted in December 2018 and served 28 years in law enforcement before retiring from the UCPD in August 2022, later becoming training director for the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office in 2023. Stack, the department, and Luster have argued that Estrella was not promoted because of disciplinary incidents and a failure to follow departmental rules, and that his ethnicity played no role in the decision.
The Rule of Three at the Center of the Dispute
The city’s defense leans on the New Jersey Civil Service Commission’s so-called rule of three, which allows municipalities to promote any of the top three candidates on an exam list rather than automatically choosing the top scorer. Ianetti and co-counsel Yasmin Estrella have countered that the rule cannot be used as cover when a candidate is passed over because of national origin. According to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, N.J.A.C. 4A:4-4.8(a)3 allows an appointing authority to select any of the top three interested eligibles on a promotional list. Stack, who holds the mayor’s office and a seat in the New Jersey State Senate representing the 33rd Legislative District, serves as Union City’s Public Safety Commissioner with what the lawsuit describes as final say over police promotions.
Corey Repasy and Philip Morrow, attorneys with Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP, represent Stack, the police department and Luster in the case. UCPD Chief Walter Laurencio, who joined the department in 1999 and rose to become its 16th chief after serving under four prior chiefs including Luster, is scheduled to testify Wednesday. Stack himself is scheduled to take the stand Thursday.
This is not the first time a jury has weighed allegations that Union City promotions were shaped by political considerations tied to Stack. In June 2006, a Hudson County Superior Court jury awarded $270,000 to former Union City police detective Raymond Lopez after finding that Stack and the city had demoted him to patrolman in retaliation for his support of a rival political candidate, a verdict reached after roughly three hours of deliberation.
