of a public employee, incompetence, , or failure to perform duties.
Separated while IA pending
No
Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
The Passaic Police Department reported that in 2025 Officer Cuevas was suspended in connection with a Cold Blue detail assigned at the city's Dignity House. During the assignment, Cuevas abandoned his post for several hours, and at some point during the tour he engaged in a sexual act. The sustained charges were conduct unbecoming of a public employee and incompetence, inefficiency, or failure to perform duties. The record notes an aggregate suspension of 180 days imposed in 2025.
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On Friday, December 6, 2024, Officer Cuevas was assigned a Cold Blue detail from 5:00 PM on Monday, December 2, to 5:30 AM on Tuesday, December 3, a 12.5-hour shift at the city's Dignity House. During this assignment, it was alleged that Officer Cuevas abandoned his post for several hours. After an extensive investigation and based on the preponderance of the evidence, Officer Cuevas was found to have abandoned his post for several hours. Additionally, during the time of his abandonment, it was revealed that at some point during his tour, he had engaged in a sexual act. Please note the officer received an aggregate suspension of 180 days imposed in 2025 for this incident. Both incidents addressed by the aggregate suspension occurred in 2024 and are listed on this 2025 Major Discipline report.
Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
On September 19, 2024, Officer Cuevas was given a direct order by Sgt. Reyes not to follow a vehicle that had fled after failing to stop for police. Cuevas disregarded the order and continued to follow the vehicle, ignoring multiple further commands not to pursue it, until he lost sight of it. The Passaic Police Department sustained charges of insubordination and failure to terminate pursuit. The record notes an aggregate suspension of 180 days imposed in 2025.
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On Thursday, September 19, 2024, Sgt. Reyes had given Officer Cuevas a direct order not to follow a vehicle that had failed to stop when directed by the Police and fled the scene. Despite this, Officer Cuevas disregarded the order and continued to follow this vehicle. Officer Cuevas was given multiple orders not to follow/pursue the fleeing vehicle; however, he ignored all commands. He continued to follow the vehicle until he ultimately lost sight of it. Please note the officer received an aggregate suspension of 180 days imposed in 2025 for this incident. Both incidents addressed by the aggregate suspension occurred in 2024 and are listed on this 2025 Major Discipline report.
Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
On March 29, 2024, Officer Cuevas was involved in a crash with another police vehicle while responding to an emergency call as a backup officer. At the intersection of Passaic Street and 1st Street, he collided with a police unit responding to the same scene, and both vehicles sustained heavy damage. The Passaic Police Department found that Cuevas was traveling at 52 mph and did not stop at his posted stop sign. He was suspended for 30 days on a charge of preventable motor vehicle crash.
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On Friday, March 29, 2024, Officer J. Cuevas was involved in a motor vehicle crash with another police vehicle while responding to an emergency call. While Officer Cuevas was en route as a backup officer, he approached the intersection of Passaic Street and 1st Street and collided with another police unit responding to the same scene. As a result of the crash, both vehicles sustained heavy damage, potentially totaling both. Based on the investigation and the preponderance of evidence, it appears that if Officer Cuevas had not been traveling at a high speed of 52 mph and had stopped at his posted stop sign, he would have avoided the crash. Additionally, if he had been wearing his seat belt, he might not have sustained his injuries
The amount is as reported by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury in its YourMoney pension data, as of March 31, 2026. It is the pension-basis figure and may not include overtime, accrued leave, stipends, or other pay. The link between this officer and this pension record is a records-based match at high confidence (exact name and exact employing agency), not a certified identity. If it is wrong, we will remove it: corrections.
Sources
[1]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 507. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
[2]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 508. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
[3]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 509. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
[4]YourMoney Active Pension Members (PFRS/SPRS subset). New Jersey Department of the Treasury. Row 220580, snapshot as of March 31, 2026. Derived from the public YourMoney Active Pension Members dataset, https://www.yourmoney.nj.gov/. ↩