Attorney General’s Office Investigating Death of Northern State Prison Inmate

The Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is investigating the death in custody of an inmate, who had been incarcerated at Northern State Prison in Newark, following an encounter with correctional police officers on December 3, 2024. The inmate has been identified as David Silva, 46, who was pronounced deceased at a hospital on December 12, 2024. The identities of the involved officers are not being released at this time.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.

A 2019 law, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2), requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.