New Jersey drivers are often advised to remain in their car during a traffic stop unless an officer requests otherwise. Authoritative guidance states that staying in your car is a best practice due to traffic safety concerns and as a way to avoid misunderstandings with police who face risks during “routine” traffic stops. As we have seen, sometimes these misunderstandings can turn tragic. This is common knowledge.
These issues came into focus during a New Year's Eve traffic stop, when Jason Carty, a local political operative and downtown business associate, was pulled over by Mount Holly officer Barry Donaldson. As Carty quickly got out of his vehicle and approached the police car, the body cam video revealed that Donaldson twice said “What is This?”. The officer, who had not yet exited his car, ordered Carty three times to “Get back in the car” while Carty repeatedly asked, “Who’s your Supervisor?”
After Donaldson’s supervisor arrived on the scene, Carty could be heard on the body cam saying, “Nah, I was just curious who was working, that’s all. I’m a big supporter of the PBA”. To which Donaldson replied, “You had me a little concerned the way you turned the corner here.” Moments later, body cam audio caught a conversation between Donaldson and his Supervisor in which the Supervisor said “I could tell by the way you were talking. That’s why I made a U-turn. Somethings up”.
Later, after Donaldson processed a summons, he informed Carty that while two moving violations were observed, he was only issuing a single summons for making a right-on-red.
Mr. Carty, who recently won a seat on the RV School Board and was just appointed Director of Mount Holly Fire Services, is a subject of an ethics lawsuit for the vote that gave him the Director post. With reference to the summons, Carty emailed the Mount Holly Reporter that he was responding to a plumbing emergency at the time and that he retained legal counsel to challenge the summons, “as is anyone’s right”.
