Jersey Journal
JERSEY CITY, N.J — A Jersey City cop indicted in a stabbing incident that preceded his time on the force has had the charges against him dropped, officials said yesterday.
During a second presentation to a grand jury, witnesses said Albert Gonzalez couldn’t have committed the crime on May 5, 2006 because he was blocks away from the 19-year-old stabbing victim at the time of the incident, John Young, the officer’s attorney, said yesterday.
Gonzalez didn’t graduate from the Jersey City Police Academy until December 2006.
“We are gratified that the prosecutor, after having all the evidence in front of him, made a fair presentment of all the evidence,” Young said. “We believe the grand jury decision to take no action was the correct decision because Albert Gonzalez did not do anything wrong.”
Gonzalez was picked out of a lineup by witnesses to the stabbing at West Side and Fairmount avenues last year, officials said. After being charged, he was suspended without pay from the Police Department.
Young said that after Gonzalez became his client he found witnesses who said Gonzalez was not at the scene and he referred the prosecutor to those witnesses.
“Witnesses said the street fight started breaking out and he (Gonzalez) got out of there because he was going to the police academy,” Young said. “We had witnesses that put him blocks away at the time the victim was stabbed.”
A letter from the Prosecutor’s Office sent to Young on April 14 states: “The matter was represented to a Hudson County grand jury. The jurors voted to take no action. This concludes the matter.”
Police Chief Tom Comey said yesterday that the department is aware the charges against Gonzalez have been dropped but that he will remain suspended pending a review of the case and further discussions with the prosecutor and the city attorney.
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