TRENTON — A state grand jury has voted not to file criminal charges against a Piscataway police officer at the conclusion of its deliberations regarding a death that occurred during an encounter with police officers on January 5, 2026, in Piscataway, New Jersey. The decedent was previously identified as Jordan Barnes, 29, of Piscataway.
The encounter was investigated by the Attorney General’s Office and presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Directive of 2019, which was issued following the enactment of a state law requiring the Office of the Attorney General to investigate law enforcement’s use of deadly force during civilian encounters.
The investigation included witness interviews, photographs, radio transmissions, video footage, and the medical examiner’s autopsy results. This evidence, including video of the incident, was presented to a state grand jury. After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury finished its deliberations on November 2, 2026, and voted “no bill,” concluding no charges should be filed against Piscataway Police Officer John Ward.
According to the investigation, at approximately 5:30 p.m. on January 5, 2026, the Piscataway Police Department received two 911 calls. The first call captured a female yelling, “Stop! Stop!” along with other commotion and yelling. The investigation later revealed that this 911 call originated from the cell phone of Jeanmarie Barnes, a relative of Mr. Barnes who was subsequently found deceased in a residence on River Road. The second 911 call came from another relative of Mr. Barnes who reported that Mr. Barnes was threatening to stab individuals inside the residence.
At approximately 5:33 p.m., the first of multiple Piscataway police officers arrived at the residence and observed Mr. Barnes standing on the front porch. As that officer approached, Mr. Barnes picked up a knife from the ground, then went inside the house and locked the front door. The officer then spoke with the relative who had called 911, who was then standing in the driveway. The relative indicated that there were three additional people inside the house with Mr. Barnes. While speaking to the relative, Mr. Barnes appeared in the second-story window, made a gesture to his neck, and yelled to the officers that they were not getting inside the house.
Multiple officers then assembled on the front porch of the residence. As one officer attempted to speak with Mr. Barnes through the closed front door, Officer Ward looked through the front door’s sidelight and observed two individuals lying inside on the floor and apparently unresponsive. Officers then determined they would make entry into the residence utilizing a key provided by the relative.
The officers opened the front door and encountered Mr. Barnes holding a kitchen knife in his left hand. Officers commanded Mr. Barnes to put the knife down and get on the ground. Mr. Barnes did not drop the knife or get on the ground. Instead, he advanced toward the officers. Three officers discharged their tasers to no effect. Officer Ward then fired his service weapon, striking Mr. Barnes. Officers provided immediate medical aid and cleared the residence for emergency personnel, who pronounced Mr. Barnes deceased on scene. Authorities recovered a large kitchen knife from the front porch, which Mr. Barnes had been holding, and a second broken knife from the immediate threshold of the entrance.
After the shooting, police found Jeanmarie Barnes, 60, Richard A. Barnes, 86, and Brenda F. Barnes, 84, deceased inside the residence with multiple suspected stab wounds. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating their deaths.
Recordings from 911 calls, radio transmissions and video footage from police body-worn cameras were previously released and are available here: https://njoag.app.box.com/s/pvikwnpqe829il9b4ufcacyf7sma8vqg
A state law, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2) requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved. The grand jury is instructed on the elements of the potential criminal offenses, including criminal homicide offenses, that could be brought and, as required by statutes, the grand jury is instructed on self-defense and other forms of legal justification.
A conflicts check was conducted pursuant to the Independent Prosecutor Directive and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any individual assigned to the investigation. Prior to the presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed in accordance with the policies and procedures established for these presentations in the SOPs.
At the conclusion of these investigations, pursuant to the Independent Prosecutor Directive and SOPs, the Division of Criminal Justice (“DCJ”) determines whether any principal should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for administrative review in accordance with the AG’s Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures. DCJ monitors any resulting review and takes such actions as are necessary to ensure that the review is completed in a timely fashion, and that appropriate actions are taken based on the results of the review.
Further information about how fatal police encounters are investigated in New Jersey under the Independent Prosecutor Directive can be found here: https://www.nj.gov/oag/dcj/agguide/directives/ag-Directive-2019-4.pdf
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