In race for sheriff, primary rival calls for investigation into 5-year-old crash – NJ.com

The challenger in the upcoming Democratic primary for Essex County sheriff is calling for an independent investigation into a 2016 crash involving incumbent Sheriff Armando Fontoura in which he struck a pedestrian firefighter.

John Arnold, Jr., a former Newark deputy police director and minister, alleges Fontoura left the scene of the Newark crash but wasn’t charged. Arnold said it’s he was calling for an investigation since it was a matter of public trust.

“Elected officials are not above the law, especially when it comes to any harm committed to the very citizens we have been sworn to protect,” he said in a campaign statement.

Fontoura, the Essex sheriff for about 30 years, said Arnold “made up” that he left the scene. The sheriff said he immediately got out of his SUV when he realized his side-view mirror hit the pedestrian and stayed at the scene until a Newark police officer told him he could go.

“I stood by for a while and made sure the firefighter was okay,” Fontoura told NJ Advance Media in a phone interview. “He assured me he was okay. And all the workers were around him and whatnot and the EMS came. And I proceeded to go to the office then and I left the rest of my information with my officer and the Newark officer and she said fine, go ahead.”

“There was no hit and run,” Fontoura said.

A crash report provided by Arnold’s campaign – as well as a civil suit filed in the matter – do not indicate any hit and run either.

The crash report has been widely shared on social media groups for Newark residents.

It shows that Fontoura struck James Walker on Wickliff Street near Newark Tech Essex County Vocational School on Aug. 5, 2016.

Walker was a Newark firefighter at the time. The incident occurred the same day of the swearing-in ceremony for former Newark Police Chief Darnell Henry.

Fontoura told police that Walker turned around and walked into his car, according to the crash report.

Walker told police that he exited his truck, turned around and was struck by Fontoura’s vehicle. The vehicle’s driver-side mirror struck him, Walker told police, then he fell and was struck by the vehicle’s tire.

The report’s codes show Walker complained of pain in his leg area and was treated at a Newark hospital. No contributing factor fault was assigned to either person in the crash, the codes show.

Walker filed a civil suit against Fontoura in 2018 and the Superior Court case remains ongoing after being transferred from Union County to Essex County. An attorney for Walker, Jonathan Rosenbluth, did not respond to an email and voicemail on Friday seeking comment.

The civil complaint, in which Walker is suing for damages related to alleged “severe and permanent injuries” from the collision, made no mention of Fontoura leaving the scene of the crash.

Municipal court records do not show charges for Fontoura in the crash.

Musa Muhammad, a spokesman for Arnold, said the campaign was “not speculating” when NJ Advance Media pressed for more details that show the incident was a hit and run.

He added that the campaign conducted its own investigation, “so we’re not looking crazy.” Arnold is also a former investigator with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Fontoura said he was headed to his office on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, which is just a few blocks away from where the ceremony was to take place later that day. He later returned to the school building near where the collision occurred so he could attend the Henry’s wearing-in ceremony.

There were several law enforcement officers at the scene already because of the ceremony, but Fontoura said he requested a Newark police officer to file the report instead of a sheriff’s officer to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Arnold also alleged that Fontoura was driving with an expired license at the time of the collision, but wasn’t issued a ticket by Newark police. Fontoura said there must have been a “glitch” in the system and denied driving with an expired license.

The report provide by Arnold’s camp is blurry and pixelated, so it’s unclear what year his license expired. Arnold’s campaign said it did not have a clearer copy of the report.

The police report was written by Newark officer Wafiyyah Furqan, who is now a sergeant and married to the city’s newly appointed public safety director, Brian O’Hara.

NJ Advance Media requested a clearer copy of the police report from the Newark Public Safety Department, but a spokeswoman did not provide one. O’Hara, the public safety director, recused himself from commenting on the matter since it involved his wife.

“A member of the Newark Police Division was dispatched to take a report at the request of the Essex County Sheriff’s Department to ensure no conflict of interest,” said Newark Assistant Public Safety Director Raul Malave. “No complaint or allegation of a crime or any wrongdoing was made at the time of the incident.”

This election is the first time Fontoura has been opposed in a primary in nine years. He is challenged by Barry Jackson and Arnold, who previously ran against Fontoura in 2012.

The primary for the Democratic nomination is on June 8. New Jerseyans will not be sent vote-by-mail ballots automatically this year unless they’ve applied for one.

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Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.