Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
Officer Max Mejia Sorto was suspended for 8 days by the Elizabeth Police Department for an improper search and body worn recorder violation. Mejia Sorto and his partner searched a motor vehicle for ownership with the driver's consent, but Mejia Sorto exceeded the scope of that search by searching areas where paperwork is not commonly kept. The search was conducted without the use of his body worn camera.
Synopsis as reported by the agency
Ofc. Mejia Sorto and his partner conducted a search of a motor vehicle for ownership with the consent of the vehicle's driver. However, Mejia exceeded the scope of that search by searching areas where paperwork is not commonly kept. Furthermore, the search was conducted without the use of his body worn camera.
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 1978. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩