A New Jersey state grand jury has declined to indict Newark police Officer Alexander Ferreira over a 2024 shooting that left Giovani Oscar Valle-Castro, of Queens, paralyzed. The decision closes out the criminal review of an encounter that began with a stolen Porsche and ended with Valle-Castro hospitalized, even as a separate federal civil-rights lawsuit over the shooting continues to move through court.
Grand Jury Clears Officer After Independent Review
The grand jury's decision not to indict Ferreira was reported by NJ.com, which has covered the case since the Aug. 12, 2024, shooting in Newark. Ferreira shot Valle-Castro during that encounter, leaving him paralyzed, according to the outlet's reporting. Nonfatal police shootings in New Jersey undergo an independent investigation under a state attorney general directive, a process designed to determine whether officers should face criminal charges.
Attorney Patrick Toscano said Ferreira was no-billed and that his actions were proper and warranted, according to the same report. Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said Ferreira remains employed by the department and continues to serve within the city's police division, which includes patrol duty.
How the Encounter Unfolded
According to the state attorney general's office, Ferreira and his partner spotted a stolen Porsche Macan parked on Clinton Place near Hawthorne Avenue and approached the vehicle shortly after 8:30 p.m. Officers ordered a passenger out of the Porsche and handcuffed him, while Ferreira secured that passenger in the patrol vehicle. Investigators said another man then entered the Porsche through the passenger door and moved into the driver's seat.
The driver did not comply with commands to stop, investigators said, and reversed the Porsche as Ferreira's partner tried to gain control of the vehicle. Ferreira fired twice as the Porsche accelerated forward, striking the driver. The Porsche then hit the patrol vehicle and crashed into a brick building and two unoccupied parked vehicles. Officers provided medical aid to the driver, who was taken to University Hospital.
The New Jersey Attorney General's Office released body-camera footage from the incident in November 2024, according to a statement from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General describing the release as tied to its investigation into the nonfatal shooting.
Federal Lawsuit Still Pending
Valle-Castro later filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit alleging excessive force and permanent paralysis, per NJ.com's reporting. The lawsuit alleges that police unjustifiably fired as he attempted to pull away, and it further claims the department provided inadequate training and supervision and that the shooting violated the attorney general's use-of-force guidelines. Those claims come from Valle-Castro's filing and have not been adjudicated.
Attorney David J. Altieri told the outlet his client had not been charged with any offenses stemming from the encounter. Toscano, for his part, said the lawsuit is without merit and called Valle-Castro's allegations frivolous, daft and derisory. The case is pending in U.S. District Court, with a status conference set for Nov. 17.
Broader Scrutiny of Newark Policing
New Jersey's statewide Use of Force Policy requires officers to report detailed information about any force used against a civilian to a Use of Force Portal within 24 hours, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. The office has said that under current policy, all law enforcement officers statewide must submit that information for every use of force they perform or witness within the same 24-hour window.
Newark's police department has faced broader federal scrutiny in recent years. The U.S. Department of Justice previously identified deficiencies in the department's Internal Affairs processes, its handling of use-of-force and misconduct investigations, supervision and management, and the training of officers and Internal Affairs investigators as part of an agreement with the city.
Grand jury decisions declining to charge officers in nonfatal and fatal shootings have surfaced elsewhere in New Jersey this year. A Haddon Township officer was not charged by a grand jury in a fatal 2024 police shooting, according to News 12 New Jersey, and the state Attorney General's Office this month released additional details about a fatal police-involved shooting in Middle Township that occurred Sept. 25.
