Grand jury indicts veteran Trenton officer over pepper spray incident and false filings
Bernstein allegedly certified false statements to charge the victim with resisting arrest
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A veteran Trenton Police detective is facing multiple felony charges after a Mercer County grand jury returned a five-count indictment involving allegations of official misconduct and perjury.
Mercer County Prosecutor announced the indictment of Aaron Bernstein, 51, of Marlboro, following an investigation into a 2022 incident involving the unlawful use of force and the filing of false legal documents.
The charges stem from an encounter on May 10, 2022. According to the indictment, Bernstein, who was a 19-year member of the force at the time, unlawfully deployed pepper spray against a 27-year-old Trenton man. Prosecutors allege this use of spray was a direct violation of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Use of Force Policy.
Furthermore, the grand jury found evidence that Bernstein filed a criminal complaint against the victim containing statements he knew to be false. Bernstein allegedly certified those false statements to charge the victim with resisting arrest and obstructing the administration of law.
The case first came to light in December 2024, when the Trenton Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit referred the matter to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Following a review of testimony and evidence on April 16, 2026, the grand jury voted to move forward with the charges: two counts of second-degree official misconduct, one count of third-degree perjury, one count of third-degree aggravated assault, and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office has not commented on whether additional officers are under investigation in connection with the encounter.
