Sheriff's officer dies after fall from 9th-story window in Jersey City

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on May 31, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A sheriff’s officer is dead after he fell from a window on the ninth floor of an administrative building in Jersey City, officials said.

The tragedy unfolded Friday morning at the Hudson County Administration Building, which includes several county government offices, including the sheriff’s office, according to a statement from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Witness Steve Roosen said he was nearby when the officer — who has since been identified as 29-year-old Justin Rivera — plunged to his death just after 9:20 a.m.

The Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Google)“I heard glass shatter and then immediately looked up, and saw a guy coming straight down,” Roosen told CBS News. “I saw the officers perform CPR, maybe, three times, and then just stop.”

Rivera, a Hudson County sheriff’s officer who was on duty at the time, was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 10 a.m.

“Today is one of the saddest and most horrific days that the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office has ever experienced,” Sheriff Frank Schillari said. “We lost an excellent officer today and an outstanding young man.”

An investigation into Rivera’s death is ongoing, but authorities at this time believe it to be accidental in nature.

Rivera, a former police officer in Bayonne, leaves behind a young daughter.