Police Sergeant Charged With Stealing Photographer’s Camera Bag From Delaney Hall Protests

The injured photographer pleads with a row of riot police to allow her to collect her camera bag — only to find it had been stolen. | Photo by Will Allen-DuPraw / GoFundMe

A police sergeant from New Jersey has been charged with stealing a photographer’s bag after she was hit with a 2×4 and had to seek medical attention.

Photojournalist Angelina Katsanis was covering the unrest outside Delaney Hall, Newark, where immigrants are being held by ICE, on Saturday evening. The site has become a flashpoint for protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Katsanis was covering the protests for the Associated Press when she was struck by the wooden beam as police and demonstrators clashed. The photographer sought medical attention and left behind her camera bag in the melee. She later returned to the area in a wheelchair to retrieve her gear, by which time it was gone.

“I checked my Airtag and the bag was already on a highway pretty far away at that point,” Katsanis tells AP. “Right away, I had a feeling it was the police because they were the only ones with access to that area.”

Video posted to Instagram shows wheelchair-bound Katsanis pleading with a row of riot police to allow her safe passage to the medical tent. Later, while in a hospital, the AirTag showed that it was at a home in Sparta, New Jersey, an address listed to Essex County police sergeant Darryl Brown.

The attorney general’s office subsequently reviewed Brown’s body camera footage, which showed him “interacting” with Katsanis’s bag. Brown’s home was then searched, and officers recovered several of the photographer’s missing items, some of which had Katsanis’ name and phone number on them. Sergeant Brown has been suspended without pay and will appear in court charged with third-degree theft. The charges Brown faces carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

“So many police officers conduct themselves with integrity, uphold the law, maintain order and public safety, and serve our communities with distinction in the face of great challenges, day in and day out,” says New Jersey State Attorney General, Jennifer Davenport. “When an officer does what is alleged in this case, it is a disservice to the profession and the public. I previously pledged that our Office would review allegations of improper conduct by law enforcement. We are doing exactly that, and this case is a result of that effort. Let me be clear: absolutely no one is above the law. We will hold law enforcement accountable when they abuse the tremendous position of public trust that they occupy and choose to break the law.”

When an officer does what is alleged in this case, it is a disservice to the profession and the public.

Absolutely no one is above the law.

We will hold law enforcement accountable when they break the law and abuse the tremendous position of public trust that they occupy. pic.twitter.com/CcKpogYr5J

— Attorney General Jennifer Davenport (@NewJerseyOAG) June 4, 2026

“The allegations against Sergeant Brown are serious and concerning. He has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office. Conduct that undermines the public’s trust in law enforcement is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office remains committed to accountability, integrity, and maintaining the public’s trust in the criminal justice system,” adds Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.

“It’s not yet clear when I’ll be able to get any of my equipment back, as it is evidence in the case,” Katsanis writes on Instagram. “But it’s amazing news and I feel like this could be uncovering something even bigger than my camera gear, as it seems like many people have had items stolen from the scene of Delaney.”

Katsanis says the entire incident has left her shaken, telling the AP that she has “thought a lot about how the officers are supposed to be there to uphold the law and protect us and protect property — and this is the exact opposite of that.”

A GoFundMe page was set up on Katsanis’s behalf, explaining that she also lost access to her car because her keys were in the stolen bag. The other items include a Sony Alpha 1, Sony 70-200mm, and many other camera accessories.

On Monday, PetaPixel reported that several photojournalists covering the Delaney Hall protests say they have been targeted and attacked by ICE agents.

“There’s a lot of talk about the protesters being violent,” Katsanis’ attorney, Wylie Steckow, tells PetaPixel.

In this case, Steckow added, “It’s someone on the law enforcement side that may have acted criminally, and actually absconding with the First Amendment equipment. This also impacts the First Amendment rights of the journalists in their efforts to get newsworthy stories out.”

‘It’s someone on the law enforcement side that may have acted criminally, and actually absconding with the First Amendment equipment.’

Mickey H. Osterreicher, General Counsel for the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), has been working with journalists, their families, attorneys, advocacy organizations, and government officials impacted by the events at Delaney Hall to ensure journalists are located, released, and able to receive legal assistance when it is required.

“At least three of our members were among those arrested,” Osterreicher tells PetaPixel.

“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing. If law enforcement officers not only interfered with lawful newsgathering but then misappropriated journalists’ equipment for their own personal use, that would represent a profound abuse of public trust and a direct attack on First Amendment activity,” Osterreicher continues.

“For visual journalists, cameras are not simply pieces of property. They are the tools by which journalists document matters of public concern and provide the public with an independent record of government conduct. Interference with that process harms not only the journalist but the public’s right to know.

‘… that would represent a profound abuse of public trust and a direct attack on First Amendment activity’

“What we are seeing with increasing frequency is not simply isolated incidents involving individual journalists. The larger concern is the growing disconnect between the constitutional protections recognized by courts and the reality journalists often face on the ground. Rights are only meaningful when government officials respect and enforce them.”

Osterreicher acknowledges that journalists are facing increasing challenges these days, including violations of their fundamental, Constitutional rights.

“The answer is not that journalists should stop exercising their rights. Rather, they must be prepared, understand the risks, document everything, work in teams whenever possible, identify themselves as press when appropriate, and seek accountability afterward when those rights are violated,” Osterreicher says. “Unfortunately, many journalists now find themselves making decisions based not solely on what the law permits, but on what they reasonably believe officers in the field may actually do.”

Image credits: Photo by Will Allen-DuPraw/GoFundMe

Additional reporting by Jeremy Gray