Suspended 10 daysmost recent record, 2025 · as reported
Cruz has 3 sustained major discipline records from North Bergen PD, all from 2025. The records include a suspension. Sustained charges across the records include: N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(6) Conduct unbecoming a public employee, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(12) Other sufficient cause, Standard of Conduct, Obedience to Laws and Regulations, Prohibited Activity on Duty, Knowingly and Willfully making a false entry in any Departmental report or record, Conduct subversive of good order and the discipline of the department, General Order 19-01 (Police Officer Scheduling, attendance, and time management), and General Order 18-03 (Overtime); N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(3) Inability to perform duties, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(6) Conduct unbecoming a public employee, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(12) Other sufficient cause, Standard of Conduct, Obedience to Laws and Regulations, Ethical Standards, and Private Conduct; N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(6) Conduct unbecoming a public employee, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(9) Discrimination that effects equal employment opportunity (as defined in N.J.A.C. 4A:7-1.1), including racial and sexual harassment, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(12) Other sufficient cause, Use of derogatory terms, Disparaging nationality-Race-or Religion, Conduct subversive of good order and the discipline of the department, Private conduct, and General Order 13-11 (Workplace violence, harassment, discrimination, and sexual harassment).
North Bergen Police Department suspended Lieutenant Otoniel Cruz for 30 days in 2025. On April 15, 2024, while off duty, Cruz rented a U-Haul to conduct personal business and enlisted another off-duty Township employee to help. Cruz then authorized compensatory overtime for that employee despite the work being unrelated to official Township business. Sustained charges included conduct unbecoming a public employee and knowingly making a false entry in a departmental record.
Knowingly and Willfully making a false entry in any Departmental report or record
Conduct subversive of good order and the discipline of the department
General Order 19-01 (Police Officer Scheduling
attendance
and time management)
and General Order 18-03 (Overtime).
Separated while IA pending
No
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On April 15, 2024, while off-duty, Lieutenant Otoniel Cruz rented a U-Haul vehicle to conduct personal business. The investigation further revealed that Lieutenant Cruz enlisted the assistance of another off-duty Township employee to perform this task. Following the completion of this activity, Lieutenant Cruz authorized compensatory overtime for the assisting employee, despite the work being unrelated to official Township business.
North Bergen Police Department suspended Lieutenant Otoniel Cruz for 8 days in 2025. On March 18, 2025, Cruz was arrested by the Palisades Park Police Department for driving while intoxicated under N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 while off duty. Sustained charges included inability to perform duties, conduct unbecoming a public employee, and violation of ethical standards.
On March 18, 2025, Lieutenant Otoniel Cruz was arrested by the Palisades Park Police Department for Driving While Intoxicated (N.J.S.A. 39:4-50) while off duty.
North Bergen Police Department suspended Lieutenant Otoniel Cruz for 10 days in 2025. On July 1, 2025, another member of the department gave the internal affairs office screenshots of a group text thread in which Cruz used a racial slur offensive to African American individuals. Sustained charges included conduct unbecoming a public employee and discrimination affecting equal employment opportunity, including use of derogatory terms.
(a)(9) Discrimination that effects equal employment opportunity (as defined in N.J.A.C. 4A:7-1.1)
including racial and sexual harassment
(a)(12)
Use of derogatory terms
Disparaging nationality-Race-or Religion
Conduct subversive of good order and the discipline of the department
Private conduct
and General Order 13-11 (Workplace violence
harassment
discrimination
and sexual harassment).
Separated while IA pending
No
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On July 1st, 2025, another member of the police department provided the North Bergen Internal Affairs office with screenshots of a group text message thread in which Lieutenant Otoniel Cruz utilized a racial slur that is offensive to African American individuals.
Similar records
AnalysisComputed by this site from shared agency, year, charge category, and sanction outcome. Not a legal or factual equivalence.
Rasheed Siyam · North Bergen Police Department · 2025
Suspended 10 days
Sustained charge(s): N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(1) Incompetency, inefficiency, or failure to perform duties. N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(7) Neglect of Duty, General Order…
same agency · same year · similar sanction outcome
Frank Mena · North Bergen Police Department · 2024
Suspended 10 days
Sustained charge(s): Conduct Unbecoming a Public Employee. Policy prohibiting discrimination and harrassment.
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.
Questions and answers
What is a summary of Otoniel Cruz's major discipline record?
Cruz has 3 sustained major discipline records from North Bergen PD, all from 2025. The records include a suspension. Sustained charges across the records include: N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(6) Conduct unbecoming a public employee, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(12) Other sufficient cause, Standard of Conduct, Obedience to Laws and Regulations, Prohibited Activity on Duty, Knowingly and Willfully making a false entry in any Departmental report or record, Conduct subversive of good order and the discipline of the department, General Order 19-01 (Police Officer Scheduling, attendance, and time management), and General Order 18-03 (Overtime); N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(3) Inability to perform duties, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(6) Conduct unbecoming a public employee, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(12) Other sufficient cause, Standard of Conduct, Obedience to Laws and Regulations, Ethical Standards, and Private Conduct; N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(6) Conduct unbecoming a public employee, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(9) Discrimination that effects equal employment opportunity (as defined in N.J.A.C. 4A:7-1.1), including racial and sexual harassment, N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(12) Other sufficient cause, Use of derogatory terms, Disparaging nationality-Race-or Religion, Conduct subversive of good order and the discipline of the department, Private conduct, and General Order 13-11 (Workplace violence, harassment, discrimination, and sexual harassment).
What is Otoniel Cruz's major discipline record at North Bergen Police Department?
Otoniel Cruz has 3 major discipline records at North Bergen Police Department in the New Jersey Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, from 2025. These are final, adjudicated actions, not allegations.
How large is North Bergen Police Department, the department Otoniel Cruz worked for?
North Bergen Police Department reported 131 sworn officers to the FBI for 2025. This is department-level context from the FBI's Law Enforcement Employees census, not a statement about Otoniel Cruz individually.
Sources
[1]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 395. 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 396. 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 397. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
[4]FBI Law Enforcement Employees (LEE), New Jersey subset. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Row 8345. Derived from the public Law Enforcement Employees (LEE) / Police Employee Data dataset (1960-2025), https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/. ↩