Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
The Clifton Police Department terminated Police Officer Justin Varga in 2024 after he failed to search a prisoner who then concealed a loaded handgun during processing at police headquarters. The handgun was later found, still concealed on the prisoner, by another agency during the transfer of custody. The record sustained a neglect of duty charge.
Synopsis as reported by the agency
Varga failed to search a prisoner. The prisoner was able to conceal the loaded handgun on his person while being processed within police headquarters. The handgun was eventually located, still concealed on the prisoner, by another agency during the transfer of custody of the prisoner.
Compensation and pension
No confident pension match found. This site links a pension record to a named officer only when the name and the exact employing agency both match a New Jersey Treasury record. Where that bar is not met, nothing is shown rather than a guess. See methodology for how these matches are made and what is withheld.
Sources
[1]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 1239. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩