JACKSON POLICE SUED FOR "ILLEGAL SEARCH" AFTER SECURING KEYS FROM DRIVERLESS TRUCK

On August 25, 2023, Jackson Township Police Sergeant Darin McClain and Officer Kenneth Egan responded to reports of a "suspicious vehicle."

Upon arrival, the officers found a truck which had its motor idling, with no driver in sight. The keys to the truck were outside the truck, stuck inside the keyhole.

The officers waited close to 30 minutes. The driver did not return to the truck.

At that point, the officers removed the keys and left a note for the driver to call the police department to retrieve the keys.

The operator of the truck, Venice, Florida resident John Squires Jr., has now slammed the Township with a civil lawsuit alleging that the securing of his keys amounted to an "illegal, warrantless search and seizure!"

In his complaint filed pro se, filed just now in New Jersey Superior Court in Ocean County, Squires argues that "the officers performed an illegal search, entry and seizure of property (keys), without permission, warrant, or probable cause of a crime being committed."

"Officers illegally confiscated the keys to the vehicle, and took them to the police department, detaining the keys and preventing the operator of the vehicle from accessing the vehicle," the complaint adds.

The suit contends that the officers' actions amounted to violations of the drivers' Fourth Amendment rights, and that they also caused him severe stress and anxiety.

The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages, together with costs of suit, and any other relief as the court may deem proper.

Township attorneys have 35 days to answer the complaint.

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